The Bowling Green baseball team used a fast start to open District 14 play with an 11-7 win over South Warren on Tuesday at Bowling Green High School.

Bowling Green (6-5 overall, 1-0 District 14) built an early cushion and held off a late charge from the Spartans to get off to a winning start in district play.

“Any time you can get a win against a good team, that is the number one thing,” Bowling Green coach Matt Myers said. “You don’t care how you get them. The only blemish the whole night was I think we gave them momentum at the end. They did a good job. They didn’t stop competing. That’s a good lineup and you have to make your pitches. If you don’t, they are going to score.”

Leadoff hitter Eli Thurman set the tone in the bottom of the first with a single to start a bat-around inning. The Purples sent nine men to the plate, scoring four times. The rally included an RBI double by Ben Ginter and RBI singles from Evan Spader and Bo Morton.

“I told our guys I thought our first inning was as good as you can (have),” Myers said. “We threw up a zero and then sent nine guys to the plate. They had a great approach against their guy. That is the best first inning we have had all year.”

Thurman extended the lead to 6-0 in the fourth with a two-run homer.

South Warren (5-7, 2-2) cut the lead in half in the fifth on a three-run home run by Hunter Evans, but the Purples answered with five in the bottom of the inning – including a two-run triple by Thurman.

“He’s special,” Myers said. “For a kid that didn’t play baseball last year, he’s got some special tools. He is confident and a tough kid – a tough competitor.”

The Spartans tried to rally in the seventh. Evans cut the deficit to 11-7 with a grand slam and South Warren put two runners on with two outs before Jackson Stahl got a ground out to end the game.

“We didn’t come ready – pure and simple,” South Warren coach Chris Gage said. “That was all it was, guys being ready to play – making two mental errors. A bloop and then two mental errors and that is what happens in baseball. It puts you in a big hole.

“(We) swung the bats against a good pitcher. I’m not displeased with the overall effort. You have to come focused from the first pitch and clean it up a bit.”

Jackson Haga earned the win, allowing four runs – none earned – and four hits with six strikeouts in six innings plus.

Thurman finished a double shy of the cycle, driving in four and scoring three runs.

“It feels good to come out here and get a win in the first district game,” Thurman said. “We have a little confidence now. We are just going to build off that for the rest of the season.”

Ginter and Spader added two hits each.

Evans and Caleb Lloyd finished with two hits each for the Spartans.

The three-game series will continue at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Bowling Green.

SWHS 000 030 4 – 7

BGHS 400 250 X – 11

WP: Haga LP: Yates{&end}