Rainout games have to be made up some time and unfortunately for the Hawks that meant they would have to play three games in three days. Fatigue didn’t bother the Hawks in their game Thursday at Holcom Park, when they dominated the Athletics in their Heinrich League match-up defeating their opponents, 17-0.

Pitching was key in this game for the Hawks who unlike the Athletics’ pitchers found their groove early in the game to ensure a victory.

“Cory pitched well. He hasn’t pitched at all this year,” Hawks’ head coach John Maynard said.

Maynard said it’s toward the end of the season because his team has only one game left and even though Cory White hasn’t pitched this year, he pitched four innings for the Hawks Thursday.

In those four innings he and his teammates didn’t allow one run.

In the top of the first, the Hawks scored one run.

Then, it was White’s turn to take the mound. Michael Lembeck, the first Athletic batter, doubled to centerfield. Lembeck left the base as his teammate, Nate Bowman, hit a pop up. Lembeck was unable to make it back to second base and was tagged out, to end the inning sccoreless.

Athletic Justin Walthal pitches in the third inning against the Hawks at Holcom Park on Thursday. Walthal struck out a Hawks player in the third.

The Hawks added two runs to their lead in the second inning, ending the inning up, 3-0.

Going down early led the Athletics to make a pitching change, the first of three in the game.

“We tried to change pitchers to keep them off balance with different speeds,” Athletics interim head coach Jeff Gregg said. “The first time was in the top of the third, when Justin Walthal became frustrated.”

Gregg said Walthal became frustrated when he would try to check a Hawks’ batter. Many times when he tried to check a runner, they would immediately take off to his surprise. He said Walthal adjusted well, but he was taken out of the game when the Hawks scored five runs in the third inning.

Justin Robertson replaced Walthal and tried to stop the Hawks.

“The second pitcher threw harder so the ball went further when they hit it,” Gregg said of the Athletics hitting off of Robertson. “My team didn’t commit many errors but the Hawks just hit really hard.”

The Hawks took advantage of the new pitching and scored eight runs in the top of the fourth.

“It relaxes them when they have big innings, it makes it easier to keep them down,” Maynard said of his team’s hitting ability in the 17-0 win.

Gregg said he was proud of his team, nevertheless.

“This was a 13-year-old team playing a 14-year-old team. We hung in there with a very good team,” he said.