Five days after losing a teammate, five minutes after a powerful pre-game ceremony in his memory, Great Crossing had to find a way to compartmentalize it all for the trifling matter of a baseball game.

The Warhawks knew they needed to ride the crest of those emotions to a quick start if they wanted Thursday night to end on a comforting, cheerful note, and they did so in trademark fashion.

Hustle and small ball sparked GC to two runs in the bottom of the first inning and one more in the second, building the foundation for a 5-1 win over Ninth Region power Ryle.

“We wanted to be aggressive and come out swinging,” Great Crossing coach Greg Stratton. “Get on top and try to get something going early on. It was good that we did.”

The season now dedicated to sophomore outfielder Case Wilson, who lost his life in a single-car accident on Newtown Pike early Sunday, March 22, is off to an undefeated start through three games.

Wilson’s classmate and close friend, left-hander Landen Walters, allowed only four hits through six innings. He struck out four Raiders.

Eli King was 2-for-3 with a solo home run. Hayden Kirby also had two hits and two RBI with a walk.

“That was kind of our game plan,” Stratton said. “We knew they were going to come out swinging, so we really wanted to jump out before they did.”

True to its brand over the years, Great Crossing bunted frequently and tried to take extra bases often.

GC stole two bags while getting caught three times. Stratton’s green light also led to Warhawks’ runner Levi Hamon being cut down at the plate to end the fifth inning after a base hit by Colton Warren.

Routine plays don’t always live up to that description at the high school level, so you can count on the coach to continue that trend of playing the lottery.

“We’re going to make them get us out. We’re going to take the risk more than a lot of teams will,” Stratton said. “That’s one reason I sent Levi there at the end. Hey, we’re going to make them get us. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but we’re going to keep running.”

All those turning wheels paid early dividends.

Brayden Beckett drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first, then wound up at third when Ryle botched the aftermath of Collier Curtis’ bunt single.

Curtis trotted into scoring position as well, and Kirby’s rope to center plated both.

In the second, Warren walked and courtesy runner Evan Hamilton stole second ahead of Beckett’s RBI double.

Three runs were ample support for Walters, who hit his pitch count of 50 after only seven outs in GC’s season-opening win over Wolfe County.

“I think my change-up was the best,” Walters said. “It was working, I just got ahead of people with it.”

Walters needed only 81 pitches to get through six innings before Beckett mopped up. Ryle (4-3) broke the shutout on Brady Irwin’s double with one out in the seventh.

“Landen did an outstanding job shutting that lineup down, which is not easy to do,” Stratton said. “To be honest, I was a little concerned today, just because of everything happening, and I know how he’s been recently. We had a conversation at school today, and it seemed like he was ready.”

The Raiders left two runners stranded in each of the first two frames. Walters struck out the side after a double and a walk to start the second.

Chase Little turned a double play with Beckett and Kirby to make quick work of the third.

“When he got out there, and I watched him in the bullpen, he was kind of locked in,” Stratton said. “That’s what he does. When he’s throwing his three pitches for strikes and getting ground balls and pop-ups, that’s him.”

The two-fer started a streak of nine consecutive plate appearances without a base runner against Walters, who retired the side on all ground balls in the fourth and fifth.

“I’m more of a ground ball pitcher,” said Walters, who was 2-0 with an 0.79 ERA as an eighth grader and 2-2 in his freshman encore. “For my stuff, I think that’s what works best.”

Tyler Mullannix padded the lead with an RBI single in the fifth before King led off the sixth with his rocket into left.

Great Crossing was scheduled to travel to Madison Central on Monday night, then Wednesday is at Trinity before its spring break trip to Florida.

“We’ll practice (Friday), nothing major, get ready for Saturday (memorial service), and then we’ll see what happens after that,” id. “If we can get a game in, that’s great.”