PALATINE, Ill. – The Harper College baseball team started off the conference season on the right foot, posting 3-0 and 7-4 victories over Milwaukee Area Technical College to kick off the N4C slate.
 
Scott Plaza (Arlington Heights, Ill., Prospect) led the Hawks to victory in game one, tossing a complete game shutout in which he allowed just four hits.  The complete game was Plaza's fourth straight as the only game the right-hander didn't finish was the season opener at Heartland.  Plaza struck out nine in his seven innings of work, including a third inning in which he fanned the side.
 
Harper's offense gave Plaza all of the support that he would need in the fourth inning with three straight extra base hits.  With one out, Nick Spagnola (Algonquin, Ill., Dundee-Crown) tripled and was driven in on a double from Connor McHugh (Hoffman Estates, Ill., Schaumburg).  Dan Duran (Skokie, Ill., Niles West) followed that up with a double of his own to plate McHugh.
 
In game two, Milwaukee struck for runs in four of the first five innings but Harper put up crooked numbers in three of the first four innings to take control.  Back-to-back walks to Brett Sklena (Skokie, Ill., Niles North) and John Caravia (Norridge, Ill., Ridgewood) set the table for McHugh, who brought both men home with a double.  Andrew Skinner (Lyons, Ill., St. Joseph) drove in McHugh with a double two pitches later.
 
After the Stormers knotted the game at 3-3, the Hawks took the lead for good in the bottom of the third.  McHugh walked with one out and moved to third on another double from Skinner.  Duran then came through with a two-run double to give Harper a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
 
The Hawks added on in the fourth with two more runs.  Mark Sarti (Palatine, Ill., Palatine) started the inning with a single and advanced on Sklena's walk.  Sarti came home on the next play as Caravia reached on a fielder's choice, moving Sklena to third.  Spagnola's groundout scored Sklena to cap the Hawks' scoring.
 
Greg Fox (Woodridge, Ill., Downers Grove South) went six innings to earn the victory, yielding four runs but staying away from the big inning and working around three Hawk errors.
 
The Hawks step outside the N4C for a single game tomorrow against Elgin Community College.  First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 PM.