Finding a way to win without Ryan Hawks on the mound continues to be the crux of Warren East’s early season.

Hawks shut out South Warren on Monday night. The Spartans jumped on Andrew McWhorter quickly Tuesday.

South Warren hung four runs in the first inning, poured on seven in the final inning and cruised to a 16-4 win to even the series Tuesday at Warren Central High School.

The Spartans (4-5 overall, 1-1 District 14) used 13 hits against McWhorter and Corey Skaggs while Zack Beckner kept the Raiders (5-4, 1-1) in check beyond the first inning.

“We’d been swinging it really well all year long for the most part,” South Warren coach Chris Gage said. “Good pitching will stop good hitting, and Ryan Hawks stopped us yesterday. We got back to swinging it really well today.”

South Warren blew open the game with a four-run fourth inning and held a sizeable advantage with AJ Isable closing the seventh inning. Beckner lasted six innings and went for five strikeouts after giving up a three-run homer in the first inning.

That four-run inning came during a pitching change from McWhorter to Skaggs. Warren East is now 1-4 when Hawks, a junior committed to Louisville, isn’t starting on the mound.

“We’ve got to figure out how to play baseball when Ryan’s not on the mound,” Warren East coach Wes Sanford said. “We don’t have the confidence defensively. We definitely have to make more plays.”

Game 3 in the series is Thursday at 5 p.m. at South Warren High School.

The Spartans wasted no time wiping away the memory of Monday’s shutout.

Hunter Evans started the party with a two-run home run in the top of the first, then Jacob Lacey followed it up with a two-run double to right field to make it 4-0.

“You want to do that,” Evans said. “That sometimes gets other teams down. I think it’s a good thing to get ahead early.”

Warren East had a quick response with Dakota Basham’s three-run homer in the bottom of the frame to pull within one run.

After adding another run on Drew Gregory’s RBI in the third, South Warren reached base with its first four batters in the fourth.

Skaggs entered after McWhorter walked AJ Isable, then walked Beckner. He gave up an RBI single to Sam Gage and an RBI groundout to Tyler Martin.

Clay Nohel’s two-run single stretched the lead to six runs.

South Warren poured salt in the wound with runs on a balk, passed ball, a two-run double from Martin and a two-run triple by Trent Rice in the seventh inning.

“Just extra insurance,” Evans said. “You never know what’s going to happen in baseball. It felt good to get all those extra insurance runs.”

SW 401 400 7 – 16

WE 300 010 0 – 4

WP: Beckner, LP: McWhorter.{&end}