Baseball

GRIFFITH, Ind. – The Lake County Corn Dogs spoiled the Griffith Generals season opener, as they prevailed 13-2 in seven innings. Shaky defense and overpowering Corn Dog hitting were the main factors in Griffith’s struggles, as the Generals had three errors and surrendered 14 hits.

Josh Bennema, despite a “really good outing” per manager Peter Romsek, was tagged for the loss as he allowed five runs in two innings of work. All three Generals errors unfolded with Bennema on the mound.

One of the lone bright spots for Griffith came in the fourth inning when Nick Fies launched a two-run homer over the left field fence, the first Northern League home run to be hit in Griffith. Fies’ swing accounted for the entire Generals scoring output.

“That was [one of my first] in-game at-bats since last summer,” remarked Fies. “I’m just happy it cleared the fence, and I’m glad to have one out of the way.”

Alex Contreras, Griffith's starting second baseman, reached base in all three of his plate appearances on walks, two of which were on full counts. His two-out walk in the fourth allowed Nick Fies to deliver on his home run.

Regarding the performance as a whole, Romsek emphasized that everyone is still getting to know each other. “Once we figure out where everyone succeeds at, we’ll be in good shape. Just gotta clean up the defense… the wood bats are a big adjustment for these guys.”

The Corn Dogs surge to a 4-0 start on the season while the Generals look to pick up their first win of the campaign against the Southland Vikings on Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. in Griffith.

5-30 Box Score - Griffith Generals Game 1.pdf (ismmedia.com)