SEARLES — Wabasso made contact at the plate on Friday evening against New Ulm Cathedral, but the Greyhounds’ defense was too good to let that contact do any damage as the Greyhounds shut out the Rabbits 6-0 in a Tomahawk-Valley Conference, Tomahawk Division baseball game at Searles Ballpark.

The Rabbits (0-2, 0-2) collected four hits in the game, singles by Calvin Hanna, Kaysen Harms, Jaxson Remiger and Cason Olson, but they put the ball in play 12 times total. Unfortunately for them, the Greyhounds (1-0, 1-0) were ready for it.

“I saw it when we were doing lineups … they had about five or six guys from last year’s team that were in their starting lineup, so definitely had experience back,” Wabasso head coach Chad Olson said. “Finstad threw a real nice game for them. The at-bats early were pretty ugly, they did get a little better and put the ball in play. We had a couple threats there middle innings, it’s just we haven’t found that guy that wants to come through and be that guy and puts us back into the game. We’ll figure that out as we go here, start getting some consistency with games.”

Right-hander Jake Finstad got the start and win for the Greyhounds in four innings, striking out seven while allowing just two hits and a walk.

Righty Ethan Jenniges got the start and loss on the bump for Wabasso, going 1 2/3 innings and allowing two hits and five walks for four runs, three earned, and striking out two. Jenniges may have had some trouble finding the zone early on, but it was an unfortunate habit for the Rabbits throughout the game as reliever Jack Burns pitched 3 1/3 innings of relief and gave up four walks. Burns also allowed one unearned run and a hit while striking out one.

Hanna pitched the final inning and allowed three walks.

“We lost a four-year starter Joe Liebl from last year, it’s tough to find that guy that’s going to replace him, so we’re trying to feel that out a little bit,” coach Olson said. “We’ve got to be more consistent with strikes early and not giving up free passes. We cut down on errors a little bit, I felt we were decent for early in this Minnesota season, made some nice plays behind our pitchers, but they’ve got to do a better job of of doing their job and keeping them from getting free passes around the bases, checking them over at first or second, just keeping them more honest.”

Finstad struck out the first two Wabasso batters he saw before Remiger lined a pitch off the glove of second baseman Alex Portner for a hit. Finstad dialed back in and got a strikeout looking to head to the bottom of the first.

The Greyhounds got two in the first inning after Finstad and Caleb Forstner took back-to-back walks. A double steal was followed by a strikeout before Elliot Schabert grounded out to score Finstad. After a walk to Portner, a pickoff attempt was thrown away, allowing Forstner to score and Portner to take second and third. Jenniges ended the inning by forcing a pop out to himself.

Elijah Rieser had a sac fly in the second to score Josh Forstner, who led off the bottom of the second with a walk and swiped second and third, for a 3-0 Greyhounds lead. A double by Finstad to center was followed with a double by Forstner for a 4-0 Cathedral lead.

Cathedral got another run in the fourth after Finstad reached on an error, stole second and third and then scored on a sac fly by Forstner.

Wabasso had its best chance to score in the top of the sixth when Hanna had a sharply hit grounder for a single to lead off which was followed with a blooper into center from Harms. But Greyhounds reliever Forstner got a flyout to center fielder Colin Anderson and throw to third to get Hanna for two outs. Harms swiped second and Jayden Remiger walked before both runners took a base on a passed ball, but a strikeout ended the threat.

The Greyhounds then got another run in the bottom of the sixth on a throwing error that scored Anderson, who led off with a walk.

The Rabbits are scheduled to host Central Minnesota Christian on Monday.