Wood bats, schmood bats.

Lawrence Raiders' Tommy Fitzgerald connects for a three-run base hit, ending the game because of the run rule. The Raiders beat Arkansas City, 8-0, in the first round of the Al Ice Memorial Woodbat Classic on Thursday at Hoglund Ballpark.

Despite the absence of aluminum sticks, the Lawrence Raiders opened the Al Ice Memorial Woodbat Classic quickly and cleanly, putting away Arkansas City, 8-0, in five innings Thursday night at Hoglund Ballpark.

The Raiders, known for scoring at will, drew a slew of walks, laid sweet bunts and received timely hits.

On the flip side, Raider right-hander Jake Hoover struck out six batters en route to a two-hit shutout.

“He was outstanding tonight,” Raiders coach Kevin Tucker said. “He was establishing his fastball, curveball … keeping guys off-balance.

“To his credit, that’s why he’s an all-state guy, and I’m looking forward to seeing his progress in years to come.”

For Hoover, the game was a nice change of pace.

In recent outings, the Free State High grad has worked out of jams. With the exception of a second-and-third, one-out situation in the second inning, Hoover had his right arm set on cruise control, keeping his fastball inside and mixing in nasty breaking stuff.

“It was a lot more relaxing out there tonight,” Hoover said.

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The Raiders squandered a golden opportunity in the first inning, drawing three walks to load the bases but never plating a runner.

But they more than made up for that in their last three at-bats.

Leading 2-0 to start their half of the fourth, Matt Falk and Brian Heere led off with a double and a walk. With runners on first and second, Tommy Fitzgerald laid an awe-inspiring bunt that gently flirted with the third-base line. Ark City anticipated it rolling foul but the curve never came, loading the bases.

Lawrence Raider Tyler Knight, left, is congratulated by teammate Lorenzo Ricketts after their victory over Arkansas City.

The Raiders grabbed a 5-0 lead after that at-bat, and Fitzgerald ended the game in the fifth. With the bases again loaded, he lobbed a base hit into left field that rolled under the mitt of Ark City left fielder Brandon Walker, ending the game in just over an hour.

More than anything, the quick finish made a statement on the opening day of the weekend-long tournament. No other squad in the eight-team field scored more than six runs in seven complete innings.

Other than keeping up the offensive success, the Raiders would love to stay this consistent on defense and keep their pitchers as comfortable as Hoover.

“It’s always easy pitching with the lead, but coming out and getting two early, that was huge,” Hoover said. “The defense we have this year is so solid.”

The Raiders play tonight at 7:30 p.m. against Dodge City at Hoglund.