The Bainbridge Bearcats baseball team started the season hot, shutting out the Pelham Hornets 10-0 in five innings.

Junior shortstop Keith Lyle led the Bearcats at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two runs and four RBIs. He also smashed out a three-run homer to left field in the second inning to put Bainbridge up 8-0.

“It felt great. Definitely more to come,” Lyle said with a smile. “We’ve really been working hard and getting after it. Just doing what we’ve been practicing. Everything is coming together now.”

Senior Ty Varnum pitched four innings, striking out six and allowing a single hit. Cayden McQuaig cleaned up on the mound in the fifth inning, striking out one batter and letting the defense take care of the rest.

In the bottom of the fifth, A.J. Jackson came home on a wild pitch with two outs to score Bainbridge’s 10th run and end the game early.

“We threw strikes,” Coach Brian McCorkle said. “Our pitchers did a really good job of throwing strikes and making them put the ball in play.”

Bainbridge scored three runs in the first inning when Will Kelley doubled in Carson Inlow and Lyle. Connor Strickland hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Kelley.

The Bearcats erupted in the second inning, with Lyle’s home run scoring three runs and Russell Wheeler and Kelley adding two more to the scoreboard.

Lyle hit another RBI in the third to plate Clark Wiggins and make the score 9-0.

Pelham pitcher Triston Edenfield pitched four innings, allowing eight hits, nine runs and a homer. He struck out four Bearcats.

“I thought we were the better team and I thought we played that way,” McCorkle said. “We executed, we hit the ball well.”

There is still plenty of room to improve, he added.

“We missed a couple signs, so we’re going to have work on that,” McCorkle said. “Can’t do that in a close game. We are still free swinging at times where we need to be under a little more control. Outside of that I thought we played pretty well.”

Bainbridge returns to play Wednesday at Early County, with the next home game following next Monday, Feb. 22, at 5:30 p.m.