Honer, Douglas baseball rout Galena

by Joey Crandall

Appeal News Service

It's not exactly where Douglas head baseball coach John Glover thought his team would be two weeks into the season.

Sitting on a 6-0 record with a visit from Fallon looming before the Tigers break into league play, Glover was a little speechless about his team's play.

"I don't even know what to say," Glover said. "We're playing fairly decent, but I think we are capable of better."

It doesn't get much better, however, than what the Tigers showed Friday afternoon.

Chris Honer struck out six in six shutout innings and went 3-for-4 with two RBI at the plate to help his own effort as Douglas defeated Galena 9-0 at Tiger Field. The win completed a three-game sweep of the Grizzlies for Douglas.

"That's a great baseball program that we've beaten three times now and we feel fortunate to have gotten by them that many times," Glover said.

Through six games, Douglas has scored 73 runs on offense.

"It worries you all the time about these young kids," Glover said. "Some of these guys don't have much experience. They've done a fairly decent job of focusing and trying to get things done."

Getting things done Friday was exactly what the Tigers were about, utilizing a four-run first inning to cruise to the victory.

Honer was stellar on the mound, hitting first-pitch strikes on 14 of the first 17 batters he faced. He held Galena hitless through 2 2/3 innings and allowed only two hits through five.

"Chris is an important part of this team, both on the mound and offensively," Glover said. "When you can get strike one like that, you're at a great advantage. He did a great job for us today."

Honer has also been a solid presence at the plate since the season opened.

"You get in a rhythm sometimes and it just feels smooth in the swing," Honer said. "We're putting up a lot of runs, and I think we've been swinging the bats really well as a team."

Bryan Miller and Brandon Huff each went 2-for-2 at the plate with two RBIs for the Tigers, while Chad Walling collected an additional two hits.

Not a single Tiger struck out Friday.

"The guys are executing," Glover said. "They are doing a really good job of staying back and staying within themselves. The whole thing is when you get in that league season, can you continue to do that?"

Douglas hosts Fallon Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.