Bartlesville, Okla. ? The Lawrence Raiders came out strong in the opening game of the Bartlesville Invitational, defeating the Tahlequah Bandits, 9-3.

In their first game since losing in the championship game of the Al Ice Memorial Woodbat Classic last Sunday, the Raiders (13-10) relied on the strong pitching performance of starter Alex Hardman.

In 51â3 innings, Hardman gave up just one run on five hits to stay undefeated (4-0) on the season.

“They were first pitch and were getting a lot of contact,” Raiders coach Shaun Edmondson said. “He was throwing a lot of strikes, but all he was getting was ground balls and fly outs.”

The Raiders’ offense continued to show signs of life this summer, recording 10 hits – six for extra bases.

Joe Kornbrust, who had two doubles, went 3-for-4 and scored two runs, while Kyle Cross was 1-for-2 with two runs and a solo home run.

“Our offensive philosophy went real well,” Edmondson said. “Their pitcher threw 29 pitches in the first inning, then another 24 in the second. After that we really started hitting the balls hard and took a lot of momentum in the early goings.”

The Raiders will face Springfield (Mo.) at 5 p.m. today in the second game of pool play.