Submitted photos – Justin Freitas is greeted at home plate after his three-run home run on Friday.

After limited preparation time, the South Fork Cubs got the new baseball season under way on Friday, splitting a doubleheader at the Maxwell tournament.

The South Fork boys dropped their tournament opener against Chester, losing 11-0, but responded with an emphatic 15-1 win over Esparto later in the day.

Head coach Chris Contreras and his players had just five outdoor practices under their belts before the season opener, in part because of the school’s deep playoff run in boys basketball and also because of the weather.

And according to Contreras, the players were happy to finally see some live pitching.

It took the Cubs a little while to settle in.

The first game was close early on, but it got away from the Cubs late, as Chester pulled away with five runs in the sixth inning.

Lucas Genolio got the start on the mound and struck out two batters in two innings, with Contreras utilizing six pitchers in the loss and keeping all of them under 30 pitches.

The second game was a different story, as the Cubs racked up 15 runs in the first inning and the coach went deep to his bench after that, utilizing a sizable roster of 19 players.

Justin Freitas got the new season off to a flying start on the hill and at the plate.

Freitas got the start on the mound against Esparto and struck out three in just one inning’s work, while also walking two.

At the plate, the standout senior finished 2-for-2 with a three-run home run and four RBIs.

Fellow senior Broc Contreras also had a good game at the plate and was 2-for-2 with a double, a walk and three RBIs.

Another senior, Daniel Furhman, also saw some time on the hill in his first season playing since Little League.

Furhman threw two strong innings, striking out one.

“I was very impressed with how he was throwing strikes,” Chris Contreras said.

The Cubs will close out tournament play when they face Live Oak on Saturday afternoon.

Broc Contreras pitching for the Cubs on Friday.