MYRTLE BEACH, SC – Cairn Baseball opened their annual Myrtle Beach trip with a 7-1 win over Hilbert at Pelicans Ballpark on Sunday.
 
After a one-two-three first inning, Hilbert (3-2 / AMCC) got on the scoreboard first after a leadoff double and some small ball. The Highlanders got started in the bottom half with junior third baseman Ben Gagnon (Bethlehem, PA / Northampton  CC) singling and freshman second baseman Gustavo Villegas (Plantation, FL / Plantation) working a walk for freshman left fielder Josh Smeltzer, Jr. (Reading, PA / Muhlenberg) to drive in with a single down the left field line, making the score 2-1 and giving Cairn (3-1 / UNITED EAST) the lead at the end of the second inning.
 
With both teams held scoreless in the third, Gagnon and Villegas led off with singles as senior center fielder Will Wikner (Gaithersburg, MD / Shenandoah University) kicked off the scoring with a two-RBI singleto right field to make it a 3-1 Cairn lead after four.
 
In the fifth, senior designated hitter Tyler Harris (Oxford, PA / Oxford Area HS) increased the lead even more after singling through the right side bringing junior catcher Zach Bauers (Cooper City, FL / Cooper City) home after he recorded a hit to lead off the inning. Villegas then scored senior right fielder Dylan Jackson (Levittown, PA / Chestnut Hill College) who reach on a hit by pitch, with the score now 5-1 after five.
 
The Highlanders kept going in the sixth as senior first baseman Tyler Warr (Langhorne, PA / Neshaminy) sent a solo homer into the stands in left field, crushing Hilbert's hope of a late comeback. Capping off the sixth was Gagnon who singled up the middle to bring Bauers home, marking what would be the 7-1 final score.
 
Sophomore righty Mikey Gutierrez (Cooper City, FL / St. Thomas Aquinas) delivered a complete game on one run, three hits, and nine strikeouts for his first win of the year.
 
The Highlanders will look to continue their streak against Wilmington (OH) on Tuesday.