Timely hitting more than compensated for a few early season glitches as far as Hoquiam’s baseballers were concerned.

Payton Quintanilla homered and drove in three runs as the Grizzlies opened their baseball season with an 8-3 conquest of rival Aberdeen in non-league play Monday at Pioneer Park’s Ken Waite Field.

Hoquiam mustered a modest six hits in this one, but made most of them count. All but one HHS hit figured in the scoring.

Returning to baseball after missing last season with a knee injury, Quintanilla stroked a two-run homer in the third. Walker Dunn doubled and singled, while Garrett Bradley delivered a two-run single in a three-run fifth inning.

Although his team issued nine walks and committed five errors, HHS coach Steve Jump said the positives far outweighed the negatives in the season opener.

“We hit the ball hard all night, a lot (of outs) right at them,” Jump said. “The defense is always crummy at the beginning. I loved the aggressiveness on the bases and loved the team attitude.”

The Bobcats (1-2) also were guilty of five errors in an exceptionally slow-moving (2 hours and 44 minutes) contest. Theirs, however, were far more costly. Seven Hoquiam runs were unearned.

Aberdeen also stranded 11 runners.

“We’re just leaving guys on base,” Bobcat coach Shon Schreiber said. “Our pitchers did well, but we’re making errors, so they have to make extra pitches.”

Dunn’s double over the left-fielder’s head scored Sean McAllister (who had walked and stolen second) in the second inning with the game’s opening run.

Quintanilla then blasted an Austin Timmons pitch over the left-field fence with Jackson Folkers aboard in the Hoquiam third.

Down 8-1 entering the seventh, the Bobcats actually brought the potential tying run to the on-deck circle.

Kylan Touch drilled a leadoff triple to right field and scored on Gio Pisani’s infield out. An error and two walks, sandwiched around Jaxson Larson’s single, forced in another run and loaded the bases before Marques Rivera — the fourth Hoquiam pitcher — ended the game with a strikeout.

McAllister, who worked the first three innings, picked up the victory.

Eli Brown had two hits — the first being somewhat unusual – for the Bobcats. His first-inning line drive struck baserunner Touch. By baseball’s rules, the runner is automatically out but the batter is credited with a single in such instances.

Both teams will be idle until the weekend. The Grizzlies will make their annual appearance in the Seaside Tournament beginning Friday. Aberdeen travels to Sequim on Saturday.

Hoquiam 012 030 2 – 8 6 5

Aberdeen 000 010 2 — 3 4 5

McAllister, Quintanilla (4), Bradley (5), Rivera (7) and Folkers; Timmons, Brown (5), Pisani (7) and Touch.

RBI: Hoquiam — Quintanilla 3, Bradley 2, Dunn. Aberdeen — Pisani, Ontiveros. Two hits: Hoquiam — Dunn. Aberdeen — Brown. Home runs: Hoquiam — Quintanilla. Triples: Aberdeen — Touch. Doubles: Hoquiam — Dunn, Rivera.

Winning pitcher — McAllister (walked three; struck out three). Losing pitcher — Timmons (walked two; struck out three).