Hawks ready for battle with H-D in 2A district quarterfinal Saturday

Hewitt will get the start on the hill

South Hamilton senior Mateo Balderas takes a cut during a game against Roland-Story last month. He leads the Hawks with a .383 average. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

WEBSTER CITY — The South Hamilton baseball team will open up its postseason on Saturday in Parkersburg.

The Hawks (7-12) will face off against Hampton-Dumont (10-14) in a Class 2A District 13 quarterfinal at 5 p.m. Aplington-Parkersburg and South Hardin will meet in the other quarterfinal at 7 p.m.

Either South Hamilton or Hampton-Dumont will advance to Tuesday’s district semifinal against Roland-Story in Story City. Dike-New Hartford awaits either A-P or South Hardin.

Both the Hawks and Bulldogs showed flashes during the regular season, but also hit some bumps along the way. Still, with a solid pitching staff and bats that can get hot, South Hamilton enters the postseason with confidence.

Hawks’ head coach Kyle Galetich says he’ll give the ball to senior right-hander CJ Hewitt for the quarterfinal. Hewitt owns a 3-3 record and 4.16 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 32 innings of work.

Hewitt will face a Hampton-Dumont lineup that hits just .268. The Bulldogs are led by sophomore Drew Uhlenhopp, who hits at a .391 clip with 21 RBIs. Dustin Miller (.363 average, two home runs, 22 RBIs) and Wyatt Sutter (.314, 18 RBIs) are the only other H-D players to hit over .300.

The Bulldogs are likely to counter on the bump with either Quinn Logan or Miller. Logan is 2-3 with a 3.84 ERA, while Miller enters the postseason at 2-4 with a 4.11 ERA.

South Hamilton hits .282 as a team with three players hitting over .300. Mateo Balderas (.383, 17 RBIs) leads the way, followed by his younger brother Zeke Balderas (.345, three home runs, 15 RBIs) and Cole Berg (.333).

The Hawks will finish off the regular season this evening when it travels to the north side of Des Moines to take on Heart of Iowa Conference rival Saydel at 5:30 p.m.

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