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After starting the first two games of the season with a 22.50 earned-run average, Cissel Saxon Post 41 pitcher Paul Graves gave up just two hits and struck out nine for his third consecutive victory, a 10-3 win over Wheaton Post 298 Wednesday at Blake High.

Ben Hostetter gave up a hit and struck out two in two innings of work to pick up his first save of the summer. Post 41 improved to 9-6 with the win, while Wheaton dropped to 1-14.

"Paul Graves has really come back for us on the mound," Saxon coach Scott Dunlap said. "He struggled in the beginning but he has pitched lights out his last couple outings."

Graves' latest outing was backed by a strong offensive performance. Led by Brady Bassford, Greg Keane, Ricky LaSota and Frankie Poulos, Cissel Saxon tallied 14 hits Wednesday.

Wheaton struck first with two runs in the top of the first inning. But Post 41 rebounded with two runs of its own in the bottom of the first off an error and hits from Bassford, Keane and LaSota.

Keane started a two-out rally in the bottom of the fourth inning. He tripled with two outs and no one on base, then scored on Poulos' double. Poulos crossed the plate on Graves' double to give Post 41 a 5-2 fourth-inning lead.

Keane, Poulos and Hostetter led Saxon's three-run sixth inning off with three consecutive singles; Keane and Poulos scored on passed balls and Hostetter rounded third on Taylor Miller's double.

"[Wednesday] was not different than any game against any other team in the league," Dunlap said. "You have to hit. If you do not hit, you cannot expect the other team's defense to make errors, if you do not hit, you cannot win. I knew if we could hit and do the little things right…"

Though Wheaton has only mustered one win this summer, it has been competitive with most of its opponents. It just has not connected on necessary timely hits. Pitcher David Friedman struck out three batters Wednesday and gave up 14 hits.