-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Dane Clark of Humboldt fields a grounder against St. Edmond on Wednesday at Rogers Park in Fort Dodge

The St. Edmond baseball team opened North Central Conference play here Wednesday night at Rogers Park with a rescheduled doubleheader vs. Humboldt.

And while the Gaels left with a pair of losses, first-year head coach Jordan Miller saw several bright spots.

Scores were 7-2 and 9-1 in favor of the visiting Wildcats (3-0 overall, 2-0 in league).

“When you play a good team (like Humboldt), the small mistakes are amplified,” Miller said. “You’ve got to be able to eliminate that. I thought we played a really clean first game and were just a couple of solid hits away from putting a lot of pressure on them.

“We had some good approaches at the plate and made some contact, but kudos to them, because their defense went and got the balls when they needed to.”

Humboldt broke things open in the fifth of the first contest, scoring five runs. Avyon Sutterfield had a big blow with a two-RBI double, as Chase Flaherty and Jackson Flaherty both drove in runs.

Sutterfield finished 3-for-4 with the two RBI and three runs scored, as Jackson Flaherty also had three hits and plated two. Chase Hansen added two hits for the Wildcats, with Valley Davis and Griffin Groat combining for 12 strikeouts.

The Gaels scored a run in the second to tie it at 1-all when Ethan Swisher was walked with the bases loaded. They added a second run in the fifth after Kinnick Henning scored following a double.

Henning had two doubles in the game, as Coltin Fevold recorded two hits. Julian Blanco scored a run.

Carson Bargfrede extended his on-base streak to six consecutive appearances, as he was hit by a pitch for the fourth time in two games and picked up a single before being retired in his third at-bat of the opener.

In the nightcap, Jackson Flaherty went the distance on the mound for Humboldt, as the offense contributed a run in all six innings they came to the plate. Flaherty struck out four and helped his own cause with two hits, tossing a two-hitter.

Groat was 1-for-1 with two walks, two RBI, two runs scored and two stolen bases, as Caden Fredin drove in a pair.

The Wildcats got on the board in the first after back-to-back RBI doubles from Groat and Hansen. They would scored one in the second, two in the third, two in the fourth, one in the fifth and one in the sixth.

For St. Edmond, Fevold delivered an RBI, as Bartlett and Garrett Royster each had a hit. Henning came on in relief and struck out four while Bargfrede picked up a strikeout and induced an inning-ending double-play.

“We used some kids that we might not have planned to put in those positions, but they stepped up,” Miller said. “I thought both Kinnick and Carson came on and did a nice job for us on the mound.

“I don’t really like to use it, but sometimes, you don’t lose, you learn, and I feel like we did that. We did a lot of quality things, and still have other things that we need to fix.”

Up next for the Wildcats will be their home opener on Friday vs. Charles City while the Gaels are off until Tuesday when they head to Webster City.

HUMBOLDT 7, ST. EDMOND 2

Humboldt 010 050 1 — 7 11 0

St. Edmond 010 010 0 — 2 5 2

WP–Valley Davis (4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 4 BB). LP–Jack McElroy (5 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 2 K, 3 BB). S–Griffin Groat (3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 7 K, 1 BB).

3B–H: Jackson Flaherty. 2B–H: Avyon Sutterfield, Chase Hansen; SE: Kinnick Henning (2). RBI–H: Valley Davis, Chase Flaherty, Avyon Sutterfield (2), Jackson Flaherty (2); SE: Ethan Swisher. SB–H: Caden Fredin, Thomas Flaherty, Valley Davis (2), Griffin Groat.

HUMBOLDT 9, ST. EDMOND 1

St. Edmond 010 000 0 — 1 2 6

Humboldt 212 211 x — 9 7 0

WP–Jackson Flaherty (7 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 4 K, 4 BB). LP–Grant Galles (2• IP, 5 H, ER, 2 K, 3 BB).

2B–H: Chase Hansen, Griffin Groat, Dane Clark. RBI–SE: Coltin Fevold; H: Griffin Groat (2), Chase Hansen, Dane Clark, Caden Fredin (2). SB–H: Ayvon Sutterfield (2), Jaxson Kirchoff, Thomas Flaherty (2), Griffin Groat (2).