Superior Central senior Bradly VanDamme delivers a pitch against North Central on April 30, 2024 at Hermansville Baseball Field. (Adam Hinch/Daily Press)

HERMANSVILLE — There was no shortage of hits and runs for Superior Central baseball as it picked up a pair of double-digit victories 11-0 and 17-6 over North Central on Tuesday.

“We really needed a performance like this after the horrible start to the season,” Cougars’ coach Greg Mannisto said. “We have lots of seniors on this team and they played with a high amount of confidence out there today.”

Cougars senior Trent Rutter started game one with a lead-off single and Blake Walther reached on an error allowing Rutter to score and the Cougars jumped out to a 1-0 lead.

The Cougars added to their lead in the top of the second as CJ Adams and Zach Lindquist both scored on miscues by the Jets and the Cougars extended their lead to 3-0.

The Cougars erupted with eight runs in the fourth inning highlighted by a two run single by Bradly VanDamme. “It was huge for us,” VanDamme said. “We really hit the ball well as a team today and that was great because we had been struggling at times this season. To get the bats going like that is a huge boost for us.”

The Cougars scored 11 runs on five hits and seven errors by the Jets.

Rutter started game two the way he did in game one with a lead-off single and VanDamme followed it up with a single of his own. With runners on second and third, Walther smashed a single into rightfield scoring two runs and the Cougars led 2-0.

Jets’ senior Adrian Mercier drew a lead-off walk in the bottom of the first and later scored on a wild pitch and the Jets cut the deficit to 2-1.

Cougars’ sophomore Blake Tanner drew a lead-off walk to start the third inning and VanDamme came through with a sacrifice fly to score Tanner.

The Cougars added three runs in the top of the third off errors by the Jets.

“We can’t give teams free bases with walks and errors,” Jets coach Ben Snyder said. “They are a solid team 1-9. If you give them free stuff they will make you pay for it.”

The Cougars had a 7-2 lead going into the bottom of the fifth inning. Jets’ sophomore Dante Sandoval drew a walk to lead-off the inning and eighth-grader Shane Buck hit a single to put runners on first and second. Kaden Malone came through with a single to load the bases and Mercier hit a two-run single to to cut the deficit to 7-5. That at bat for Mercier was his 140th plate appearance without a strikeout dating back to his first at bat of last season.

“I don’t know what to say, I don’t strikeout much,” Mercier said. “I have a good eye for the ball, and I’m always look to make contact every time up.”

The Cougars went off in the top of the sixth, scoring 10 runs highlighted by a two-RBI single by Walther who went 3-4 in the second game with four RBI.

“I had a lot of confidence going up to the plate,” Walther said. “The whole team was hitting and when that happens it seems to make getting hits easier.”

The Jets had 14 errors in two games to only three by the Cougars.