March 20 started the first day of spring and the warm weather and rain showers meant it was time for baseball in Western Pa.

The Hawks started their campaign with a 1-0 win against the Canon Mac Big Macs on Wednesday, March 22 at the coveted Wild Things ballpark. 

To say the game didn’t live up to the long-expected wait would be an understatement. Taking the bump in the opener for the Hawks to no one’s surprise was senior pitcher Evan Holewinski as he faced Canon Mac’s best in Austyn Winkelblech. The pitcher dominated the game as Holewinski threw five scoreless innings before being relieved by Sebastien Schien who closed out the game with three more donuts in the run column. 

Schien said after the game, “We have a lot of respect for Canon Mac and know they are a very well-coached team. I just went out onto the mound with the confidence knowing I had seven great fielders behind me to make plays.”

And make plays they did on both sides as at the end of the seventh the score was deadlocked at 0-0. In the eighth senior outfielder Jason Nuttridge, who lead the team with two hits on the day, was standing on third when a wild pitch scored him to end the game 1-0.

After the win, the Hawks (0-0, 1-0), were poised to travel to Seneca Valley (0-0, 1-0) to take on the Raiders at 4 p.m. Friday.