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Hello, slugger! New first baseman Thompson powers Preston past Hyrum, 14-4 By
Wade Denniston
SMITHFIELD -- What a first impression. In his first game in a Preston uniform, Brett Thompson was a huge addition to the Aggie lineup as he went 2 for 5, including an RBI double and a three-run home run, to lead his team to a 14-4 victory over the Hyrum Hornets on Tuesday night in the two teams' opening game of the 2000 Northern Utah Preseason Tournament at Richard V. Hansen Baseball Park. "We've never had a hitter like Brett," said Preston coach/catcher Bill Clark. "We've never had a true power hitter like that, and he's just a top-quality hitter." But, what did the right-handed slugging first baseman think of his debut with the Aggies? "It felt pretty good," Thompson said. "I was relaxed and it was fun. I could've done better, but (I) could've done worse, too." The win sets up a second-round showdown with Providence at 8 p.m. Thursday. The Wolverines (1-0) blasted the Bear River Barons, 16-0, behind the pitching of Jed Jensen, and hitting of Nick Bott and Scott Budge, who each went deep. Hyrum (0-1) and Bear River (0-1) will face one another, also on Thursday (at 6 p.m.), in the losers' half of the bracket. For Preston (1-0), however, hitting wasn't the only thing that enabled it to get by Hyrum. A solid pitching performance from Brian Wolfley aided the Aggies' cause, as well. Wolfley went the distance for Preston, giving up four runs (two earned) on five hits, while walking four and striking out seven. "I've got to give a lot of credit to Wolf because he basically went out and knew he had to throw the whole game," Clark said. "He got pretty tired and he just toughed it out. "He pitched well." Yes, Wolfley did, and he was spotted a 3-0 cushion before even taking the mound. The Aggies' first three batters all reached safely, despite not getting a hit. Preston's first base knock came when Thompson laced his double down the right field line for his first RBI of the night. The Hornets came back with a run of their own in the bottom of the second to cut the lead to 3-1 when Mike Hooten drove in Brian Edwards with a single. Wolfley ran into trouble in the bottom of the third when a throwing error by Preston third baseman Ryan Olson allowed two Hornets to score, tying the game at 3. But, Preston regained the lead for good in the top of the fourth when Cameron Hampton scored on a balk by Hyrum relief pitcher Sean Robinson. A seven-run fifth broke the game open for the Aggies as they sent 10 men to the plate in all. Preston recorded five hits in the inning, including Thompson's long ball. "Overall, we swung the bat OK," said Thompson, who saw his team rap out 13 hits in all. The Aggies will need the same kind of fire power Thursday if they want to get by the Wolverines, who knocked them out of the Northern Utah League postseason tournament last year with two late-inning victories. "I think they're a great team," said Preston's Rich Gittins. "They're tough. . . . They have a loaded team."
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