"I hate to see a guy like Tommy in a game like this for his first game, because he's earned his position (as head coach)," Shives said. "He's a good guy."
"We're going to take our lumps early, that's what my buddy Kerns would say," Flowers said. "But we're going to keep trying. We're not going to quit."
Brad Turner went 3-for-3 with four RBI to pace Clear Spring offensively, as the Blazers sent 11 men to the plate in a six-run second and 12 more in an eight-run third. Mike Snyder hit three doubles in four at-bats, while Keeney and Zeb Jacobs each had two hits and three RBI. Larry Hose had two hits and two RBI and Cody Beard added two hits.
Every starter for Clear Spring scored at least one run.
"I watched them play basketball, and these kids have a will to win and play hard," Shives said. "This team can be as good as they believe. They're walking into a new league, so we'll see. It's tough to say how good these kids can be."
Hamby pitched three innings, allowing only one walk while striking out five. Keeney pitched the final two innings, allowing Derick Clingerman's single and a walk while also fanning five.
"We're just trying to limit our errors and limit our walks, and if we can do that, I think we can be competitive," Flowers said. "But today we had one hit, and when you have more errors (four) than hits, it's hard to be competitive."
Clear Spring, which starts MVAL Antietam play today against Smithsburg, has plenty of pitching (including starters Zeb Jacobs and Cody Beard) in a pitching-rich league including Williamsport's Nick Adenhart, North Hagerstown's T.J. Hose and South Hagerstown's David Miner. Shives said the Blazers are looking forward to the challenge.
