The 88s brought out their best effort against the 47s on June 15, excelling on the mound, in the field and at the plate.

They played almost flawlessly, cruising to a 21-2 victory in the Heinrich League game at Holcom.

The 88s coaching staff was especially pleased with the massive offensive output since hitting was one of their concerns with a July filled with tournament games quickly approaching.

“Sometimes the guys aren’t aggressive batting, so we try to get them to swing the bat,” assistant coach Bruce Scott said.

Swinging the bat was not an issue for the team in this game as it racked up several consecutive big innings on the way to the win.

The 47s got off to a quick start when Zeff Wiggins and Dustin Walthall reached base on singles. After Alex Brown drew a walk, the bases were loaded for Sam Callan, who delivered a single to left field, scoring Wiggins.

If the 88s starting pitcher Ryan Scott was rattled by the situation — bases loaded and no outs — he didn’t let it show. Scott struck out the next three batters to keep the game close going into his team’s half of the inning.

88s baserunner Cody Jones heads to third base during a Heinrich League game against the 47s on June 15 at Holcom. The 88s defeated the 47s, 21-2.

Inspired by Scott’s performance, the 88s were all business in the bottom of the frame. Key hits by Chris Parker, Austin Holladay and Justin Balster sparked a six-run rally.

There were more offensive fireworks for the 88s in the second inning as Holladay nearly cleared the fence in left-center field. Instead, the ball hit the fence and Holladay ran to second base with a standup double.

Adam Petz, Matthew Montes de Oca and Michael McCabe also had hits in the frame. By the time the long inning ended, the 88s had scored eight runs and taken a commanding 14-1 lead in the game.

The 47s came up with some nice defensive plays to get out of the brutal inning. Second baseman Nick Dunkel fielded a ground ball cleanly off the bat of Ben Harms and threw to first base for the second out of the inning. Third baseman Dustin Walthall then made a fine play on a grounder by Balster to end the inning.

Thomas Reams scored the 47s’ other run of the game in the fifth inning.

Despite the lopsided score, the 47s showed good character throughout the game, continuing to hustle and cheer each other on.

The 88s were happy to have another game to prepare them for upcoming tournament play.

“We’ve had so many rainouts that we’re just trying to play as much as possible to get ready,” Scott said.

In July, the 88s will play in the Steamboat Springs Tournament, a major AAA tournament in Colorado.

Before the game, the two teams finished up a game from earlier in the season that was postponed because of rain. The 88s won the resumed game, 10-4.