Thano Klett powers Hamilton baseball, but Holland Christian strikes back
Hamilton's Thano Klett proved to be a jack of all trades as the No. 1 pitcher and a tactical hitter in a rivalry showdown.
Klett threw 105 pitches and tallied seven strikeouts throughout in a 6-0 win over rival Holland Christian on Tuesday at home, allowing just four hit.
He also showcased his abilities as a strong hitter for Hamilton as he hit three doubles, which drove in two runs.
Klett has been around baseball his entire life and only focuses on what he controls during the game.
“Personally for success, it was just coming out here and worrying about what I can affect and not worrying about outside factors,” he said. “Just do what I need to do and keep going on to the next play, and get the job done.”
The Hawkeyes hold themselves to a high standard of integrity that translates into “playing the game the right way.” They have no shortage of positive attitudes throughout the team, and Klett continues to drive the team with uplifting attitudes.
“Our coach says it’s different here we’re always going to do the best we can and put the most effort into it,” Klett said. “Even if we’re not winning we’re going to do our best to play the game the right way.”
No matter win or lose Hamilton's team strives to show the best attitude towards and use each game as a learning experience to build a better team.
Hamilton’s coach, Brian Grabinski tries to focus on keeping the fundamentals. He feels his team has improved dramatically throughout the season and feels relieved to see their hard work pay off.
“I think we just gotta do what we’ve been doing and focus on the fundamentals,” Grabinski said. “We’ve been drilling those every day. I don't think we change anything we do, what we do is what has got us here, so I think we just focus on the fundamentals and come to work every day.”
Hamilton’s “won’t stop, can’t stop” mentally has been working for them all season; as they look to wrap up their season they are proud of the work ethic they instilled into the program.
The Hawkeyes improved to 8-14. Brant Goodpaster had three hits.
In the other dugout coach Scott Mokma focuses on molding his young team and learning from every experience.
“The boys learn from every experience, everyday that their out here," Mokma said. “We do have an extremely young team, one senior and every game we want to get better, we learn to get better and facing a good picher our boys learn from that.”
It didn't take long as the Maroons salvaged the split by winning the second game 3-1.
Gavin DeBoer and Hudson Lubbers each had two hits for the Maroons, while Trevor Nagelkirk had a hit and two RBIs.
Lubbers earned the win on the mound, allowing one run on five hits in a complete game. He struck out four and walked two.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Thano Klett powers Hamilton baseball, but Holland Christian strikes back
