Bearcats start off season with win over Green Wave

DEXTER -- Backed by a three hit, five RBI performance from Chase Young, the Dexter Bearcats opened their season with an 11-4 win over Malden on Tuesday.

"It wasn't pretty at all," Dexter head coach Brian Becker said. "But anytime you can start the season 1-0 and not 0-1 then it's a good start. We saw a lot of positive things and lot of negative things, but that's just the way the first game looks a lot of times."

Coming back up to bat after surrendering three-runs in the top of the third inning, the Bearcats loaded the bases before Young stepped to the plate with two outs.

Connecting on a Green Wave offering, Young sent a hard hit grounder just past the shortstop and into the outfield, scoring a pair of runs to give Dexter a 6-4 advantage.

With Josh Overall taking the mound the final 4 1/3 innings, the Bearcats were able to hold Malden scoreless while padding their lead.

Once again loading the bases with two outs in the fifth, Jordan Miller hit the ball to center field that a sprinting center fielder couldn't keep a hold of. Rolling toward the fence, Miller's hit brought home all three runners to push the Bearcats ahead 9-4.

"He made a couple of errors on defense and didn't have very good at bats (early) on," Becker said of Miller. "But then he stepped up and there in the latter part of the game and got the big hit for us and that's what we needed.

"Guys are going to struggle and when they struggle they just have to push that aside and keep plugging along. Jordan did a good job of stepping up there late in the game and getting a big hit for us."

Coming back up in the bottom of the sixth, Dexter wrapped up their offensive performance with Young lining a double to left for his third hit of the game. Young fought off several strikes on a 1-2 count before his bases-loaded shot brought runners from second and third to make up the 11-4 final.

"The at bat by Chase Young was incredible," Becker said. "He fouled off about seven real good pitches and then shot the ball out there to left field.

"I know the pitcher has to be frustrated, but sometimes you just have to tip your hat to a guy that just has an incredible at bat and Chase had good at bats all day long."

Coming in to spell starter Owen Flowers with two outs in the third, Overall picked up the win. After sitting out last season with an injured shoulder, Tuesday's game was Overall's first in a Bearcats uniform in a year.

The junior entered the game and struck out the first batter he faced to strand runners on first and second before pitching four more shutout innings. He held Malden without a hit while allowing two walks and striking out seven.

"First game out I thought he did a good job," said Becker of Overall. "Owen did a good job, he just had trouble hitting his spots there in the third inning."

Green Wave head coach Tim Harmon added, "I don't think he was doing anything outstanding. He was just throwing it and saying, 'here it is, hit it,' and we weren't hitting it very well.

"I looked like he was peppering the zone pretty good and we just didn't do anything with it."

Finishing the contest with six hits, Dexter was led by Young's 3 for 4 performance. In driving in five runs, Young had two doubles, a single and scored once. Miller had a double while Overall and Brad Potts each singled.

With three hits on the game, Malden did all its damage in the first three innings. After each team score a run in first, Dexter went up 4-1 with a three-run rally in the second.

Malden responded quickly with three runs of their own in the top of the third off single from E.J Stanley and Garrett Potts.

Stanley singled to center to bring home a runner from second before Potts lined a shot to left field off the third baseman's glove, bringing home runners from second and third to tie the game.

"We're not looking for moral victories this early in the year," Harmon said. "Dexter whooped us pretty good last year. and we had a couple bad defensive plays today that really turned the game around.

"The pitchers didn't really throw strikes consistently enough. Hopefully that's just being early in the season and having a few jitters and things like that, but we'll be alright."

Next up, the Bearcats will travel to Kennett today where they'll play the Indians at 4 p.m.

Malden 103 000 0 - 4

Dexter 132 032 x - 11

WP -- Josh Overall. LP -- Dylan Earnhart. 2B -- (D) Jordan Miller, Chase Young 2.