Walks in the park

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ROCK FALLS - Jakob Junis' first high school at-bat didn't go well. The Rock Falls freshman struck out looking against Dixon's Brett Willey on Tuesday, leaving the bases loaded with two outs.

All that was forgotten after Junis' next trip to the plate, when he launched a three-run home run over the fence in left-center field. The blast was the biggest blow in the Rockets' 21-2 win.

"I was really trying to make up for that first at-bat," Junis said. "I got a pitch I liked and drove it. It was a pretty good shot, and I knew it was gone."

The nonconference game, which ended after five innings, was the first for both teams after weather postponed the first week of games.

"It was a lot of fun," Junis said. "It was pretty much what I expected, except I didn't think the score would end up like that."

Dixon led 2-0 after the top of the first, thanks to Tony Valdes' two-run homer against Rockets lefty Jarred Hippen. Valdes cranked the ball well over the right-field fence, scoring himself and Willey, who reached on a walk. The home run came on a knuckleball, a pitch Hippen's been experimenting with.

"I'm trying to incorporate a couple more pitches into my arsenal," the Iowa signee said. "I don't want to be a two-pitch pitcher. But that kid put a great swing on it and killed it."

Pitching in front of a St. Louis Cardinals scout, Hippen allowed three hits, three walks and a hit batter in four innings and 69 pitches. The senior struck out nine, but retired the side in order only once. Taylor Eikenberry closed the game with a 1-2-3 fifth.

"You always know what you're going to get with Hippen," Dixon coach Dan Crawford said. "He's one of the best pitchers in the state, and he showed that again today."

Crawford pointed to his pitching as his team's biggest question mark coming into the season, and he proved prophetic. Four Dukes pitchers combined to walk 15 and hit three batters while giving up 11 hits.

"We gave them the game," Crawford said. "If you don't throw strikes, you're not going to beat a t-ball team, let alone Rock Falls."

Hippen (2-for-3, 2 RBIs) was the only Rockets starter not to draw a base on balls, and Taylor Eikenberry and Tim Jacobs walked three times apiece. Eikenberry led the way with four runs, and Junis scored three with a game-high four RBIs.

Dylan DeVries, a sophomore making his varsity debut, added a double that was the Rockets' only extra-base hit besides Junis' homer.

"For the first game, we were very disciplined on offense," Rock Falls coach Donnie Chappell said. "If it was a ball, for the most part we took it. Normally we'd swing at all sorts of bad pitches this early in the season."

All 21 of Rock Falls' runs were earned, and neither team committed an error.

"Outside of the pitching, we actually played real well," Crawford said. "We didn't really make any mistakes in the field, and I'm proud of how we battled against Hippen. The pitching's going to be a work in progress, but we'll be fine."