WAITING FOR A CALL — North Union shortstop Danyal Fothergill awaits the umpire’s call after a tag play with Garner-Hayfield/Ventura runner Dalton Mills at second base during Friday’s game in Bancroft, Iowa. (Photo by Greg Abel)

BANCROFT, Iowa — Garner-Hayfield/Ventura sent 28 batters to the plate in the first three innings.

The Cardinals’ offense dominated on the way to a 16-0 Top of Iowa Conference baseball win over the North Union Warriors on Friday night.

GHV collected four hits to score four runs in the first. Jack Ermer singled, stole second before Brody Boehnke walked. Owen Pueggel brought both around to score with a triple to the wall in right-center, hitting just left of the 380-foot sign at Bancroft Memorial Park.

Nathan Roberts advanced Pueggel the final 90 feet with a grounder through the right side of the infield. Roberts moved to second on a Mason Graham single to left, then kept circling the bases on an error.

The Cardinals recorded another three hits for a run in the second, before taking four walks and adding five more hits to score nine runs in the third.

Graham singled, then Kevin Meyers, Dalton Mills and Ermer all walked. Sam Wood reached on a fielder’s choice before Boehnke brought in two runners on a triple to the wall in right-center.

Pueggel scored Boehnke with a single, then Roberts brought Pueggel around with a double that one-hopped the wall in right-center field.

Graham hit a sacrifice fly, before Meyers singled, stole second, advanced to third on an errant pickoff throw and took home on a wild pitch.

“We played hard, I don’t ever question if these guys are giving effort,” North Union head coach Royce Byrnes said. “We knew coming into tonight that Garner was a really good team, they are first in the conference and they have some guys with crazy batting averages. It’s not often you see a lot of balls getting to the walls in gaps here. I was talking to Kegan (Boland) who started for us and I told him there was nothing he was doing wrong, it’s just Garner was doing everything right. … Then again, we need to find a way to get our bats going. … We did a little at the end, but we’ve got to be doing that innings one through four and not just down to our last few outs.”

GHV added another two runs in the fifth on three hits.

Wood made a solid three-inning start for the Cardinals, allowing only three baserunners. He started the night with a strikeout, then walked Carter Morphew before striking out the next five batters he faced.

After forcing a popout to start the third, he worked another strikeout, then Caden DeVary broke up the no-hitter with a ground all up the middle before Morphew walked again.

North Union looked to cause trouble in the fourth on relief pitcher Pueggle.

The flame-throwing lefty had issues with control, walking three batters to load the bases, but his fastball proved too much as he also struck out three batters to end the inning scoreless.

Matthew Steffensmeier pitched the final inning for the Cardinals.

Jay Heinen sent a deep fly ball to the wall in center field for a double and Evan Bollinger lined a single to left to put runners on first and third with two outs, but the Warriors’ 11th strikeout of the night ended the run-rule shortened game.

“We’ve really been preaching the last couple of years, for whatever reason, North Union boys sports have really been struggling the past few years,” Byrnes said. “At some point, someone’s gotta step up and make a change. If these guys just think they’re going to show up for two months in the summer and be a good baseball team, it’s not going to work out that way. They’ve got to put everything they have into the sports they’re in. Most of these guys are three or four sport athletes and that’s true for all the sports they play. Hopefully, I think it’s slowly changing. The culture right now just isn’t where we want it, so we’re really working on that.”

Boland started on the mound for North Union, allowing 10 hits, four walks and 12 runs in two-plus innings of work, while striking out four Cardinals.

Nick Schiltz pitched the final three innings for the Warriors, allowing four runs on six hits and one walk, while striking out one.

The Warriors (0-7) go to Fort Dodge, Iowa, to play St. Edmond at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. GHV (9-1) travels to Buffalo Center, Iowa, to play North Iowa at 7 p.m. Monday.

GHV 419 02 — 16 16 0

NU 000 00 — 0 3 3

LOB–NU 8, GHV 6. 2B–Nathan Roberts (GHV), Jay Heinan (NU). 3B–Brody Boehnke (GHV), Owen Pueggel (GHV). SF–Mason Graham (GHV).