ELLSWORTH – A combined shutout and a pair of electric home runs from Casey Ryan allowed the Spring Valley Hawks to pick up a comfortable 7-0 win over the Ellsworth Hubbers Friday.

A third inning rally sparked when pitcher Aaron Froelich hit a lead-off single, followed by a double from Charlie Thibodeau. With one out, Blaine Guthrie came through with a single to drive in both runners.

That is when Ryan stepped in. Launching a two-run home run to left field, the Hawks were out to a 4-0 lead.

That was not the last the Hubbers would see from Ryan however, as the third baseman once again launched a two-run home run to left for a 6-0 lead.

The home runs were backed on the other side of the ball by starting pitcher Froelich. With the score in the Hawks’ favor, Froelich tossed six shutout innings.

Pitching success did not end when Froelich exited, as relievers Brandon Walczak and Kyle Thompson finished the job with two and one scoreless innings, respectively.

After the game, Ryan said he told teammates ahead of the game that he was going to hit a home run. The promise was delivered not once but twice. He felt good swinging in the cage before the game and was ready to go come game time.

Manager Erik Thompson said despite Ryan being a pitcher rather than a hitter when playing at UW-Stout, he provides a big bat for the lineup.

Ryan attributed part of his performance to the team’s pitching, saying it allowed the bats to swing more freely.

“It definitely makes swinging go easier at the plate, because you don’t feel like you need to get a hit all the time when our pitchers are throwing a shutout,” Ryan said.

Froelich’s stellar start was something Thompson had been working him up to since joining the team. Thompson said he has been trying to work up his pitch count, and the 99 pitches thrown Friday was the result of the work.

“We’ve been kind of slowly working him up. I think he threw like 99 pitches today, which is the most he’s thrown,” Thompson said. “He’s been like 40, 60 and then now he’s at 90, so he should be stretched out enough to help us out.”

Thompson believes some of the success of the team this season can be attributed to how close the team is in the dugout. From a mix of veterans and newcomers to the overall combination of personalities, Thompson felt this team had a necessary closeness.

“I really like our team. We’ve got a good mix of guys that have been around, and a group of guys that have joined us,” Thompson said. “I had a good feeling about them since the beginning. They meshed well personality wise.”

Thompson said closeness like this can make the difference between winning and losing teams.

Coming off a walk-off win against Osceola a week prior, the Hubbers are experiencing what comes along with a long season. Player-manager Jeramiah Paulson spoke on this, saying all the team can do now is bounce back quickly.

“Tonight, we didn’t play real good offensively, and you just got to start over and come at it again tomorrow,” Paulson said.

With postseason play looming in August including the St. Croix Valley Baseball League Tournament in Osceola, and the WBA State Qualifying and WBA State Tournaments, the fight for seeding will continue.