CRANBERRY TWP — Cranberry Township took the patient approach.

Cranberry batters drew eight walks in the first two-plus innings, turned those and a few ill-timed Mars Sliders' errors into a 5-0 lead before its first hit on the way to a 10-2 win in the opening game of the best-of-three Eagle County League baseball quarterfinals Monday evening at North Boundary Park.

Sliders' starting pitcher Caulen Hershman had been able to get through two scoreless innings despite walking the bases loaded in the second, but walked the first four batters he faced in the third and was chased.

Hershman had baffled Cranberry hitters through the first two innings with a slow, dipping breaking ball.

“He threw us off a little bit,” said Cranberry player/manager Bill Clinefelter. “He had us definitely off-balance for a while.”

Then the walks came, followed by an error, sac fly and then a two-run double by Clinefelter that gave Cranberry a 7-0 lead after three innings.

“It was one of the deals where you ride it out and hope for the big inning sooner or later and it came,” Clinefelter said.

The Sliders got two runs back in the fourth inning on an RBI double by Luke Ronda and a RBI infield single by Ryan O'Connor.

But that was all the offense the Mars Sliders could muster against Cranberry starter Eddie Emes, who was in complete control.

Emes struck out 12, walked two and gave up just three hits — all in the fourth inning — for the win.

“You get into a best-of-three, you definitely want to get that first game and start off on a good note,” Clinefelter said.

The Mars Sliders have struggled this season and entered the playoffs as the bottom seed.

In only its second year, the club and player/manager Dylan Stewart are hoping for better things in the future.

And he hopes that future begins today in Game 2 at home.

“This team doesn't give up,” Stewart said. “We're young talent.

“We started last year as a brand new team and we didn't do well. That was OK. We're getting these young guys in and getting experience. This year was kind of a rebuild, like last year. But, you know, we have some committed guys who are still here.”

Stewart said he is hoping to keep his core together and build around that.

“We have some college players on this team. They are going to step up,” Stewart said. “I'm expecting a better game (today).”

So is Clinefelter, who is definitely not taking the Mars Sliders lightly.

“They're a scrappy team,” Clinefelter said.

Mars Sliders 000 200 0 — 2 3 3

Cranberry Twp 007 120 x — 10 6 0

W: Eddie Emes 7IP (12K, 2BB). L: Caulen Hershman 2+IP (2K, 8BB).

Mars Sliders: Luke Ronda 2B RBI, Cameron Marshall 1B, Ryan O'Connor 1B RBI

Cranberry Twp: Clayton Bouchard RBI, Brandon Pouch 1B, Dave Coradi RBI, T.J. Kuny 1B RBI, Joel Shaffer 2-1B, Ryan Owens 2B RBI, Bill Clinefelter 2B 2-RBI

Today: Cranberry at Mars Sliders