MALDEN - It took Malden all of three pitches to demonstrate the power in its lineup.
Leadoff hitter Lexi Campbell opened the game with a home run and hit another solo shot in the second inning as the Green Wave beat Twin Rivers 12-1 in five innings Friday at Malden.
"Yesterday, we had a conversation about our goals as a team, where we were at and our motivation. Yesterday we turned it up and we looked a lot better," Malden coach Angela Rodgers said. "And today we definitely we did the same. Today was probably our best game so far."
Campbell finished 3 for 4 with three runs. She doubled and scored in the third inning. Hailey Rojas had a solo home run for Malden in the fifth inning to set the final score. The freshman finished 2 for 3 with a walk, two runs and a stolen base.
Malden (5-0), playing as the away team on its home field after moving the game because of field conditions, scored six runs in the first inning and was ahead 11-1 after three. By that point, eight different players had scored with Campbell scoring three times and Gracie Thomas scoring twice.
Twin Rivers (2-3) got through a scoreless fourth inning, but the young lineup starting featuring seven freshmen and sophomores couldn't put together much of an offense against Malden's freshman pitcher Hope Hartman.
"Some days we look real good and some days we struggle," Twin Rivers coach Joey Kerperien said of his young team. "We had a good win (Thursday) against Neelyville. Malden came out and hit the ball hard today. We knew they were going to hit well and we knew we were going to have to put some runs on the board. We didn't quite square the ball up well. Hope pitched a good game."
After leadoff hitter Bella Galloway tripled and scored on a wild pitch in the first inning for the Royals, Hartman retired eight in a row.
In the complete-game win, she struck out four and allowed three hits and a walk. Galloway also tripled in the third inning, giving her two of Twin Rivers' three hits, but was stranded after a flyout to center.
Hartman never allowed more than one runner on base in any inning, and got a full-count strikeout against Galloway to end the game.
"Hope got a little wild there at the end, but she kept it under control and did well. We are proud of her," Rodgers said.
The Royals' dugout remained upbeat despite the scoreboard.
"We talked a lot about being positive and not let things snowball and carry over to the next play. They do a good job of not letting things carry over to the next play," Kerperien said. "We made a few really nice plays in the infield and outfield and then we booted a few. We had a few times where we tried to tag somebody before we made a catch. All in all, it wasn't our best defensive effort, but it wasn't bad either."
Macy Walker and Thomas had two hits for Malden.
"Our hitting (was better). Our defense was pretty good," Rodgers said "I think compared to last year, our hitting is a lot better. Just trying to become more well-rounded. We usually rely on our defense a lot."