Originally scheduled to face Tripoli on the Panthers’ home field, rain forced the two teams to travel 10 miles to the north to Sumner-Fredericksburg High School to find a dry diamond.

And some 117 miles away from their home in Jewell, the Hawks put Tripoli away quickly.

Behind an eight-run first inning and 16 hits, South Hamilton blasted the Panthers, 20-1 in 4 innings.

“It was a good game for coming back after the fourth (of July) and just seeing some live pitching,” South Hamilton head coach Kyle Galetich said. “We swung the bats pretty well.”

South Hamilton catcher Elijah Balderas looks to the dugout to get the sign on Tuesday. Photo by Angela Hewitt

Uh, that’s quite possibly the understatement of the season.

Nine players scratched out at least one hit and four ripped multiple hits. Carter Hewitt led the way with a 4 for 4 performance that included two doubles and five RBIs. Cole Berg went 3 for 5, which included a gap shot for a double, and drove in three runs. Freddie Lewis was 2 for 2 with four RBIs, while Zeke Balderas put up a single, double and three RBIs in four official plate appearances.

Brock Galetich, Cade Balvanz, Lane Swenson, Tycin Barkema and Ethan Young all singled. Brock Galetich plated two runs, while Young, Cade Flaugh and Quinton Grove all had one RBI.

Flaugh walked four times and pushed his streak of free passes to eight in a row over the past two games.

Following its eight run first, South Hamilton (10-8) put up three runs in the second and nine in the fourth. The Hawks have now outscored their last two opponents 33-3.

Hewitt got the job done on the mound, as the sophomore southpaw allowed just three hits in the rout. He struck out eight against just two walks.

“Carter had a good night on the mound and at the plate,” Kyle Galetich said.

Conner Piehl lasted just 1⁄3 of an inning on the mound and took the loss for Tripoli (3-19).

South Hamilton closed out its regular season in Eldora last night against South Hardin.

South Hamilton 20, Tripoli 1 (4)

Tuesday at Sumner

S. Ham 830 9 — 20 16 0

Tripoli 001 0 — 1 3 4

Carter Hewitt and Elijah Balderas. Wayne Kauffman, Conner Piehl (1), Dawson Bergmann (4) and Piehl, Bergmann (2), Piehl (4). W — Hewitt. L — Piehl. Multiple hits — SH: Hewitt (4), Cole Berg (3), Zeke Balderas, Freddie Lewis. 2B — SH: Hewitt (2), Berg, Z. Balderas. RBI — SH: Hewitt (5), Lewis (4), Berg (3), Z. Balderas (3), Brock Galetich (2), Ethan Young, Cade Flaugh, Quinton Grove.