The Mets dugout was the place to be on June 6. The fifth- and sixth-grade team in the Parks and Rec JHawk Baseball League focus is on having fun this baseball season.

The squad has even taken to adopting nicknames for each player and coach, an idea that stemmed from head coach Pat Hubbell. When the “Bull” or “Wild Thing” steps up to bat, his teammates take great pleasure in chanting their nicknames for the whole park to hear.

“Our main strategy is to have as much fun as possible,” Hubbell said. “I’m sure a lot of people say that, but we really do have fun.”

In addition to their moniker madness, the Mets really be enjoying their first two games as they’ve won both – including a 13-5 victory against the Cubs after five innings on June 6.

The Mets batted first and scored the first run when Macon Ezell crossed the plate. Scott Lamb, Emory Hubbell and Riley Buller followed suit. Jacob Pfeifer hit a triple that brought in Buller.

“We had a lot of base stealing out there,” Emory Hubbell said. “We were smart to take advantage of that for all our runs.”

The Jhawk Baseball Mets step up to bat in the second inning of their match-up with the Cubs on June 6 at Holcom Park. Thanks to a grand slam by Matt Keary, the Mets won 13-5.

The Cubs weren’t to be outdone by the Mets’ five runs though. The Cubs answered with two runs before they set their bats down.

The Cubs truly shined when pitcher Jordan Cuttell took the mound. Cuttell consecutively struck out Matt Keary, Simon Fangman and Chance Barritt to force the Mets out in the second inning before they had a chance to score. Cuttell said he was glad he could make the contribution to his team.

“I think we did good even though we lost,” Cuttell said. “Our coach still said he was proud of us. I felt good about my three strikeouts.”

If the second inning provided the Cubs’ biggest highlight in the pitching position, the fourth inning was the Mets’ turn. Even with the Cubs chanting to encourage each other and psyche out the Mets’ batters, the team was off to a good start in the top of the fourth with another run from Pfeifer. But it was a grand slam by Keary that brought in Ezell and Fangman and sealed the Mets’ win.

Coach Hubbell said it was a goal of his to keep the Mets playing like they have so far this season.

Cub Jordan Cuttell Throws a strike against the Mets on June 6 at Holcom Park. Cuttell successfully struck out three Mets in a row in the second inning.

“We want to make sure the kids can think for themselves out there on the field,” Hubbell said. “Also our new motto is every strike out is a small victory.”

The Cubs also said they had a clear plan for improvement after the Mets quickly struck them out in the third and fourth innings. The team scored three more runs after the first inning but the offense faltered after that.

“I think we could have improved on catching more of the ground balls that came by us,” Branden Baston, Cubs centerfielder, said.

Cubs players said they were most looking forward to improving their game to have a strong showing at tournaments the team will play later in the season. Cub Caige Sutton said he was looking forward to traveling to Salina and Osage City.

While the Cubs will lick the wounds of their loss and prepare for future tournaments, coach Hubbell said he was proud of the Mets for sneaking runs by the Cubs. He said he enjoyed watching some players get a new taste for the game from playing different positions.

“My favorite part was some of our pitching,” Hubbell said. “We had some new people out there and they did really well.”