Those poor Lawrence Raiders. If injury-induced absences continue to add up, soon they’ll be shorthanded because everyone will be on the bench applying ice packs to every joint, bone and muscle imaginable.

Just 13 guys remain playable from a roster that once contained 18 baseball players. With that in mind, as ugly as it may be, any victory simply is beautiful in the Raiders’ eyes.

Add Saturday’s game with North Platte (Neb.) Post 163 to the list of ugly wins. The Raiders committed five errors, and North Platte reached base about every negative way possible, yet Lawrence squeaked out a 6-4 victory at Free State High.

In the Raiders’ eyes, it was a tremendous victory.

“It’s a little bit of a battle each day,” said coach Tim Hill, filling in for Reggie Christiansen, who was attending a wedding. “It was a satisfying win, but watching it was like pulling teeth.”

As painful as it was, the Raiders clicked enough to beat a solid North Platte team thanks to good pitching and just enough clutch hitting.

This week’s heavy hitter, outfielder Taylor Martin, was back at it Saturday. After blasting a pair of home runs against Topeka Post 400 on Thursday, Martin crushed another dinger in the third inning Saturday, scoring Brett Lisher ahead of him and putting the Raiders up, 2-0.

Martin finished 3-for-4 and has six hits in his last 10 at bats. Hill moved him up to third in the order Saturday, taking advantage of the fact that, to Martin, the baseball looks like a beach ball.

“It’s looking pretty big right now,” Martin said. “People are getting on in front of me, so I’m seeing better pitches.”

Lawrence Raider Tyler Blankenship, left, follows through on a hit against North Platte (Neb.) Post 163. The Raiders won, 6-4, Saturday at Free State.

Lawrence briefly lost the lead Martin supplied, though, after pitcher Jake Hoover plunked two batters and North Platte’s Robbie McEwen drove them home with a double in the fourth inning. Scott Parelka then knocked McEwen in with a single to give North Platte a 3-2 lead.

From there, it was back-and-forth baseball. The Raiders tied the score in the bottom of the fourth, only to lose it again in the fifth. After tying it again in the bottom of the fifth on a Tyson Corley RBI triple, Lawrence grabbed the lead for good in the sixth when Lisher smacked a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Grant Meisenheimer. Martin then plated another run by shooting a single to center field.

“Taylor’s swinging the bat really well,” Hill said. “Hopefully, he’ll continue it.”

Hoover pitched effectively despite drilling four batters, striking out seven and getting the complete-game win.

The Raiders will lace the cleats up again today for a doubleheader with North Platte at 10 a.m. at Free State. It’ll be the final action for Lawrence until the zone tournament starts Friday.

Lawrence Raider Taylor Martin smacks a base hit against North Platte (Neb.) Post 163. The Raiders won, 6-4, Saturday at Free State High.