Austin Nicolas did what his manager wanted him to do Monday night.

The Post 122 AAA starting pitcher gave up one earned-run in five innings, struck out five and let his defense do the rest.

“Against teams like this, you just want to use your defense and throw a lot of strikes,” Post 122 AAA Manager Scott Butler said after his team’s 17-2 win over West. “Hopefully the defense makes the plays behind you. We struggled a little bit early on, but other than that, we were pretty solid.”

Nicolas struggled with command in the early going, working around walks in the first two innings but remaining unscathed.

“He’s still working out the kinks,” Butler said. “It was his second start in over a year, so he’s working out the kinks for two, three or four starts. And once he does that, he will be fine.”

The Post 122 (2-3) offense gave Nicolas plenty of breathing room.

Ko Yawata drove in Troy Muse for the first run of the game in the bottom of the first, and later scored on a James Dotson base-hit.

Chase Jones reached on an infield single and scored on a passed ball, and Chris Vogt scored on a Chris Garrett line drive to centerfield. 

Six Post 122 hitters collected two hits on the night, led by Dotson’s five-RBI performance.

“It’s a deep lineup,” Butler said. “Tyler Brittain solidifies you as a No. 9 hitter, and he’s a really good No. 9 hitter. He led off two innings tonight and we call him the second leadoff hitter. Ko can hit eighth and all he does is hit it to right field every single time.”

The top five of the lineup went a combined 8-for-15, and Butler expects even more production from the middle of his lineup in the near future.

Hunter Russell and Hunter Capstick will join the team after returning from vacation, and Butler said he will plug both players into the starting lineup.

“Hunter Capstick is a five-tool athlete with his capabilities on the mound, and Hunter Russell is the same way, aside from pitching,” Butler said. “Russell sets the table at the top of the lineup and Capstick is in the middle of the lineup knocking Russell in. We’re battling right now without those guys, though.”

Butler’s only concern is on the mound, where finding consistent performances is tough for any summer team playing a full schedule.

Post 122 opened the season with six games in eight days and will play 16 games in June alone.

“It’s nice that we’ve filtered in a few non-district games in the schedule so we can get some rest,” Butler said. “We’ve played a lot of games here early on, so it’s just about taking care of their bodies.”

Butler plans on getting his starters rest when he sees fit against non-league competition, and he thinks the added depth that Russell and Capstick bring will keep players fresh as the schedule intensifies.

“I don’t know what I’ll do when I get Russell and Capstick back, but I do know it’s a good position to be in,” he said. “Because it’s going to be a loaded lineup for sure.”