BROSELEY -- Twin Rivers was never in much danger Thursday.
A run in the second inning, four in the third and another three in the fourth gave the Royals all the cushion they needed to defeat Puxico and earn a second straight win to start the season.
Nine hits and a solid outing from its deep pitching staff lifted Twin Rivers to an 8-3 victory over Puxico at Royals Field.
Brady Leutert, Jacob Guess, Aaron Middlestadt, Tanner Ledbetter, Jalen Hicks and Montana Kendle all saw time on the mound for Twin Rivers, none pitching for more than two innings.
The group had a shutout bid going for the first six innings and didn't allow a hit until the fifth. Three walks, a base hit and an error in the seventh ultimately ended the shutout hopes, but Kendle came in the game and tossed three straight strikeouts to seal the deal after inheriting a bases loaded situation.
"We had one guy who came out there and he struggled a little bit with his command, but we had another guy who was ready to pick his teammate up," Twin Rivers head coach Chris Newman said. "He came in and got the job done. The entire team as a unit picked that one guy up, so he's ready to go again next time we need him."
The bulk of Twin Rivers' (2-0) production occurred in the middle portion of the game.
Jackson Siebart reached base on an error at shortstop. He then stole second and reached third on a ball that slipped past Puxico (0-3) catcher Jordan Armstrong. Preston Martin drove him across the plate despite grounding out to the second baseman.
Ledbetter reached base via a walk, later stealing second and finding third after a wild pitch. Leutert sent him home with an RBI double. Hicks and Jacob Guess sent in the final two runs with a single and a sacrifice, respectively.
A two-out rally in the fourth cushioned the Royals' lead.
Ledbetter woke up the bats with a double to center. Martin secured an RBI single to right-center on the next at-bat. Leutert put a bow on Twin Rivers' scoring with a double that drove in a pair of runs.
On the other side of the ball. The Royals were equally as good defensively during that stretch.
The Royals allowed just two base runners in the first five innings, going three up, three down in the first and fourth. In total, Twin Rivers' pitching staff combined to strike out 10 Puxico batters.
"The past couple of years I've been here, pitching has been something that -- especially with this group -- we've always relied on a couple guys," Newman said. "Going into this fall, me and my assistant, we talked about we needed a whole pitching staff.
"We built a bullpen, we got guys a lot more work and we wanted to see what they could do today, and we're very pleased on both sides of the ball."
Middlestadt had himself a day both offensively and defensively.
He reached base safely on all four plate appearances, went 2 of 2 with a double and a single, stole a base and scored three runs.
"I just go up there every time looking for a base hit, and it worked out for me today," Middlestadt said.
On the mound, he allowed one hit and struck out two of the seven batters he faced.
"We just work so hard in practice every day on defense, and it transfers over to the games," Middlestadt said.
For Puxico, a lack of definite roles for each player can be both a blessing and a curse.
"We have a small roster without any clearly defined roles because of the strict pitch counts. We're constantly rotating people and we kind of have a carousel of positions, which makes it hard for the guys, especially the young guys, to be able to get real comfortable in a spot," Puxico head coach Jay Pierce said. "Anything that gets outside the routine stuff can be a question mark sometimes."
As time goes on and the young team gets used to playing the jack of all trades role, Pierce thinks the situation could benefit his group.
"Every day, we're getting better. We have people outside of positions and making leaps and bounds getting better, and that's just a testament to their work and their effort," Pierce said. :Our practices are getting better, and our games will catch up."