MARYSVILLE, CA (MPG) - The Marysville Indians baseball team extended their winning streak after a rough start to their season as they run-ruled the Mesa Verde Mavericks 15-1 in a non-league matchup on Monday, April 3.

Marysville jumped out to a 9-0 lead after the end of the first as Mesa Verde pitchers struggled to get the ball in the strike zone. The Indians showed their patience at the plate as they drew eight walks in the inning.

Marysville (5-7) senior pitcher Jack Howsley threw a four-inning bullpen as he mowed down the Mavericks lineup, striking out seven and surrendering three hits.

Howsley went two-for-four in the game with two singles and two runs batted in (RBI). Howsley told the Dispatch that pitching on the mound gave him confidence moving forward as he was consistently pounding the strike zone through his outing.

“It helped bring down the Earned Run Average (ERA) and added a few strikeouts for the year,” Howsley said.

Indians head coach Bill Rollins expressed that his players are seeing the ball well at the plate and taking advantage of it.

“We’re putting the bat on the ball and it’s working out for us currently,” Rollins said.

The win over Mesa Verde was the third consecutive win for Marysville and the third game in a row the Indians put 10 runs on the board.

With Marysville having a wide margin late in the game, Rollins was able to let senior outfielder Kayden Ellyson get an inning on the mound.

When watching an Indians game, you will hear a million nicknames for Ellyson as the Marysville bench cheers him on in the batter’s box.

Ellyson and Howsley both laughed postgame with the Dispatch as Ellyson was asked which one was his favorite. Although there wasn’t a clear answer, Ellyson went straight to business about the Indians’ win.

“This was the first time I’ve pitched since little league,” Ellyson said. Rollins told the entire team Ellyson was going to be on the bump in the middle of the fourth inning and you heard a big roar of happiness from the entire Indians huddle.

Ellyson retired the side in the top of the fifth and even got two strikeouts.

Marysville continued its Pioneer Valley League schedule the following day as they played Wheatland in the first of a two game series.

Ellyson said that the Indians know they got off to a bad start in league, but the small sample size of recent winnings added confidence into playing the Pirates over the next few days.

The Indians evened up their PVL and overall record at (7-7, 3-3 PVL) as they swept Wheatland 11-7 on April 4, and 11-3 on April 6.

Marysville hit their first home runs of the season with Howsley hitting one and senior pitcher/shortstop Steven Cherry hitting two in the first matchup. Rollins said that their bats are clicking and have a great rhythm currently.

Cherry, who has been limited on pitching throughout the year due to an injury, has been fully cleared to pitch from now on.

The Indians have scored an astronomical 61 runs in their last 5 contests and hit with a batting average of .417 as a team, compared to their early struggles when they were hitting under .100 as a team in the first third of the season.

Marysville didn’t have any PVL league games this week as they traveled and played in a post-Easter tournament in Atascadero.

Rollins hopes to see the consistency of putting the bat on the ball throughout the tournament.

The Indians will start PVL play again on April 18 as they travel to Twelve Bridges of Lincoln, who are in their first year of varsity competition.