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When your starting pitcher goes the distance and your number-three batter drives in five runs, there’s a good chance everything has gone according to plan.

Hopkins coach Mark Peterson said as much after his Royals cruised to a 7-1 win over Orono on Tuesday afternoon in a nonconference matchup.

“We scored early, we tried to keep the pressure on, and we did,” Peterson said. “We had some positives today, and we also still have some things to work out.”

Senior pitcher MaKenzie Merritt threw all seven innings for the Royals (2-0), striking out 10 Spartans and giving up just six hits while earning two hits of her own to go with a pair of walks.

Offensively, junior shortstop Natalie DenHartog already appears in midseason form, after cracking a double and blasting a three-run homer en route to five runs batted in on Tuesday.

“Obviously, she’s very athletic,” Peterson said of the Augustana-bound DenHartog.

“She’s got a strong arm, a quick bat,” Peterson continued. “You can’t ask for too much more out of a number-three hitter playing (shortstop).”

DenHartog said that it was the pitch just before that set the stage for her shot over the centerfield fence at Hopkins’ Tanglen Field.

“I was kind of mad I let the last (pitch) by, so I just thought ‘I gotta get the next one,’” DenHartog said.

Senior third baseman Megan Geelan and sophomore Jordan Case were the bright spots for the Spartans (0-2), swatting two singles each in the loss.

Orono pitchers Jordan Arends and Alyssa Denneson each struggled, combining to give up seven earned runs to the Royals’ bats over seven innings.

In addition to an offense that’s racked up 13 runs in its first two games, DenHartog said that Hopkins has solidified its defense on the field.

“I think our defense has improved a lot, and we show a lot more range in the field,” DenHartog said. “I think we’re ahead of where we were last year, but I also think we have a lot more to improve on.”

Any improvement on last season could be viewed as a bonus, with the Royals coming off a 15-win 2016 and a fourth-place finish in the Class 4A state tournament.

"We expect to go to state because we worked so hard last year and we're working hard this season," Merritt said. "We're very determined to go."

Senior pitcher MaKenzie Merritt threw a complete game six-hitter, and junior shortstop Natalie DenHartog blasted a three-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning and finished with five runs batted in to lead Hopkins to a 7-1 victory over Orono in nonconference action Tuesday afternoon at Hopkins High School.

Senior third baseman Hannah Kleist stole three bases and scored two runs while going three-for-four in the leadoff spot for the Royals (2-0), and Merritt finished the game with 10 strikeouts.

Senior third baseman Megan Geelan and sophomore Jordan Case each finished with two singles in the loss for the Spartans (0-2).

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