Monday Seacoast Standout: Exeter senior dominant again on the mound

EXETER - It would have taken a special performance for senior Ethan Battles to top his first start on the mound for the Exeter High School baseball team.

In his first start, Battles struck out 16 and allowed four hits and one run in a 5-2 season-opening win over Windham on Monday, April 13.

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Arguably, he was better in his second start.

Ethan Battles

The University of Maine-commit took a perfect game into the sixth inning in a Division I game against Nashua North on Monday, April 20.

North's leadoff batter in the sixth reached on an error and the following hitter broke up Battles' no-hit bid with a clean single to left. Battles struck out the next batter and then induced an inning-ending double play to the next. Battles retired the side in order in the seventh.

Battles struck out 14 and finished with a one-hit, complete-game shutout as Exeter improved to 3-1 with an 8-0 win. He was named Monday's Seacoast Standout Athlete. Battles finished the game with 92 pitches, 64 for strikes.

"He was completely dominant," Exeter head coach Bruce Joyce said. "He struck out the first seven guys of the game, and that set the tone right away. He was ahead in the count, threw hard, had his breaking ball going, and really had (North) off balance all game."

Battles now has struck out 30 in 14 innings of work this season, and is 2-0.

"Absolutely couldn't be happier with his start," Joyce said. "He had a great first game, and then you're not quite sure if you're going to get that the second time out, but he went right back out there and did it again."

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Monday Seacoast Standout, Exeter senior dominant again on the mound