JEWELL – Single after single after single, that’s what Gilbert went with to frustrate and, eventually, demoralize the South Hamilton pitching staff Wednesday night at the Mike Penning Athletic Complex.

It wasn’t like the Tigers ripped the cover off the ball, far from it in fact. They were content with choppers, bloopers and short liners, and they rode them to a dominant 14-3 victory over the Hawks in Heart of Iowa Conference play.

Gilbert finished with 16 hits in all, 15 of them singles, off South Hamilton pitchers Zeke Balderas and CJ Hewitt.

“They just do a good job of putting the bat on the ball and not striking out, and they hit the ball to all fields,” South Hamilton head coach Kyle Galetich said. “They’re hard to play … they really make your pitchers work.”

Balderas accepted the loss after being pulled in the third inning with a tweaked knee. He struck out one and walked one.

Hewitt went the rest of the way and struck out five against just one walk.

Steven Lawrence and Tanner Day went a combined 8 for 10, all of them run-of-the-mill base knocks, for Gilbert (11-10, 8-4 HOIC). Nathan Chasey had the team’s only double to go along with two singles, and Skyler Popillion added two hits.

Chasey, Day, Lawrence and Barrett Schonefield all drove in two runs. Gilbert put the hammer down late with three runs in the sixth inning and five in the seventh after South Hamilton (4-10, 3-9 HOIC) scored three runs in the third to close to within 5-3.

The Hawks collected six hits in the loss, their third straight. Landon Quam laced two singles and Hewitt cranked out a double. Balderas, Nathan Sogard and Jake Hand all added one single.

Quam drove in two runs with a third-inning single and Balderas followed him with a run-scoring base knock of his own.

South Hamilton will return to the diamond on Saturday at the Ogden Invite. The Hawks will open up against the host Bulldogs at noon.