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Pat Cashman was tough to hit in tonight’s matchup against the Northwest Indiana Oilmen. After giving up a leadoff single in the first inning, Cashman went seven scoreless innings and only allowed two more hits, leading the Hounds (2-0) to an 8-1 victory over the Oilmen (2-1).

A powerful starting performance from Cashman looked promising from the get-go for the Hounds, but it took their bats a couple of innings to support his strong arm.

A slow start for the Hounds’ offense saw some light in the second inning when Frankie Perrone, the team’s designated hitter, picked up the first hit for the team. After stealing second base, he was left stranded, and the Hounds’ offense hibernated until the fourth inning.

Connor Kopach led off the fourth with a single. Complemented by an unsteady pick-off attempt by Keith Mahler, the Oilmen’s starting pitcher, Kopach moved over to second base. From there, a groundout from Brian Lees moved him to third, and he crossed home plate and scored the first run for the Hounds after Emerson Misch grounded out to second.

After taking the lead in the fourth, the Hounds never looked back. Cashman, who struck out four batters in his seven innings of work, was able to shut down the offense of the Oilmen. By working the corners and the strike zone, Cashman was in complete control of the game.

The Hounds took a solid 3-0 lead after the fifth inning behind an RBI single by Stewart Nelson and an RBI groundout by Connor Kopach, and that lead was extended to 8-0 after the Hounds collected four hits and batted around the order in the sixth.

After seven innings of work, Cashman was relieved by Bob Kametas in the eighth inning, and he followed in Cashman’s footsteps by striking out one and allowing no hits.

Chase Thurston replaced Kametas in the ninth inning to close out the game. After giving up an RBI double to Nate Schneider of the Oilmen, Thurston settled down and ended the game strongly, while stranding two runners on base.

The 8-1 victory for the Hounds is their second of the season in two games. Compared to just four Oilmen hits, the eleven hits for the Hounds sparked an offensive attack that they will carry into their next game on Sunday at 6:00 PM against the Southland Vikings. The game will be played at Benedictine University.