How the Hawks respond will be the key.

For the second time in three nights, South Hamilton was dealt a 12-0 loss, this time by North Polk, Friday night at the Mike Penning Athletic Complex. The Comets (7-3, 5-1 HOIC) busted free with a six-run second inning, tacked on one run in the sixth and then reeled off five more in the seventh.

Colten Parkins was a one-man show for North Polk. He went 4 for 5 at the plate with two doubles and four RBIs. He was even better when he walked to the mound, as he threw six innings and struck out 13 batters.

“Parkins will be a first-team all-conference pitcher,” South Hamilton head coach Kyle Galetich said. “We’ve seen some better pitching (the last two games) than we saw earlier in the year, but not everybody is going to be able to roll out a guy like Parkins.”

South Hamilton’s Elijah Balderas pitches in relief of starter Cole Berg in Friday’s 12-0 HOIC loss to North Polk in Jewell. Photo by Angela Hewitt

South Hamilton had just four hits, all singles by Brock Galetich, Ethan Young, Cade Flaugh and Lane Swenson.

The Hawks (4-2, 3-2 HOIC) had a chance to put up a crooked number when they loaded the bases with no outs in the third inning, but Parkins wiggled out of danger without yielding a run.

South Hamilton will be back at home this evening to take on PCM at 7:30 p.m.

North Polk 12, South Hamilton 0

Friday at Jewell

N. Polk 060 001 5 — 12 7 1

S. Ham 000 000 0 — 0 4 3

Colten Parkins, Andrew Weig (7) and Joe Husak. Cole Berg, Elijah Balderas (5) and Lane Swenson. W — Parkins. L — Berg. Multiple hits — NP: Parkins (4). 2B — NP: Parkins (2), Husak. RBI — NP: Parkins (4), Logan Engebretson (3), Husak (2), Sam Kvidera.