May 14 at Kensington

Starbuck 13 Kensington 2 

The Starbuck Stars opened their season on Saturday with a game in Kensington. 

The Stars will field a formidable team this season and they went right to work, scoring twice in the first inning and four more times in the second on their way to a 13-2 seven-inning victory.

Michael Gruber led off the game with a single and eventually scored on a two-out single by Jackson Hendrickson. Jared Freese drove Hendrickson home and the Stars were off to a great start.

In the top of the second inning the first four Starbuck batters reached base and scored. Michael Gruber and Austin VerSteeg each hit doubles in the inning. Jared Freese drove in the final two runs of the inning with a two-out single.

Newcomer Drew Olsonaski led off the top of the fifth with a homer to right field, setting off a six-run uprising for the Stars. Five walks and a hit batter, combined with two more hits, incuding VerSteeg’s second double of the game, allowed the Stars to plate five more runs to give Starbuck a  12-2 lead.  

Three pitchers combined to eat up seven innings, with Drew Olsonaski opening the game on the hill. Olsonaski tossed two scoreless innings. Mitchell Gruber came on for two innings of work and got nicked for two runs. Luke Barkeim closed out the game, going three solid innings, surrendering just two hits, not allowing a walk while striking out six batters

The Stars 13-2 victory should be the first of many as many former Minnewaska players combine with veterans and newcomers to form a team to keep an eye on.  

Stars            240 061 0 – 13 13 2

Kensington  000 200 0 –  2  7  1

HITTING – Starbuck:

Michael Gruber 2-4 2b r-3 rbi, Mitchell Gruber 3-6 r-2 rbi, Austin VerSteeg 2-5 2b-2 r-2 rbi-3, Jackson Hendrickson 1-4 r rbi, Mike Andreas 1-5 r, Andy Toop 1-3 r, Jared Freese 2-4 r rbi-4, Drew Olsonaski 1-4 HR r-2 rbi-2 

PITCHING (ip-h-r-er-bb-so)

Drew Olsonaski     2-2-0-0-1-5

Mitchell Gruber      2-3-2-2-0-3

Luke Barkeim (W) 3-2-0-0-0-6