Baseball: Southland Vikings' Home Opener a Smash Hit

Homewood native Aaron Hauge didn't feel like he had his best stuff.

Tell that to the Will County Crackerjacks.

Hauge pitched six innings of one-hit ball in the Southland Vikings' 10-0 victory over the Crackerjacks in a Midwest Collegiate League wood-bat baseball game on Tuesday night in Flossmoor. He struck out six in the Vikings' home opener.

"It felt good to get my first start and win for the Vikings, especially since it was the home opener," Hauge said. "I felt like my changeup was my best pitch. I was getting ahead of hitters and that is always a key to my success. (But) I owe a lot of my success tonight to my defense."

Vikings' second baseman James Dawson turned in a web gem when he made a diving play to rob one Crackerjack of a hit. Dawson also went 2-for-4, including a double, and drove in two runs for the Vikings (5-3, 3-2).

Mike Kane went 4-for-4. He doubled twice and drove in four runs. And he extended his streak of consecutive hits to seven.

"The ball looks really big right now," Kane said. "I am just trying to put a quick power swing on the ball. A key to me being successful at the plate is when I get my foot down early. When I do that, I hit that ball like I am doing now."

Hauge (1-0) was making his first start for the Vikings. He recently finished his season at Heartland Community College. He posted a 10-2 record with a 2.41 ERA and led Heartland to the NJCAA World Series.

The Vikings next take on the Chicago Zephyrs at 7 p.m. Wednesday. To view the Southland Vikings schedule, visit their team web site.