Spartans get to 5-1

 EARLHAM -- Junior Alex Amaral pitched a three-hit gem on the mound and got plenty of run support Friday night as the Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton baseball team improved to 5-1 overall with a 9-1 non-conference win at Earlham.
 Amaral (3-0) allowed one run in seven innings, walked none and racked up 12 strikeouts, putting his season earned run average at 0.88. He was the only Spartan without a hit in the game, but Amaral’s teammates combined for 14 hits and pulled away with back-to-back three-run innings in the fourth and the fifth.