How else would you explain the 10-0 beatdown the Purple Hurricanes put on Dalton?
"A cold night and the bat can sting and jar you when you make contact with the ball," Cartersville head coach Stuart Chester said. "These were bad conditions and we did a pretty good job of locating the ball and they didn't do as good a job."
The Canes were so good, in fact, that Cartersville quickly put behind it any negative memories it may have had from a season that started 0-2.
There was little suspense in Thursday's game as Cartersville started with a lead and added to it all evening.
Dalton could do nothing but coax a walk out of Sam Howard, Cartersville's starting lefthander, in the first inning.
The Canes came out on the attack in the bottom of the frame as Ben Venters singled his way on base, moved to second on a single by Connor Justus, then to third on a walk of Luke Daniel. He scored when Colin Bennett was hit by a pitch.
Justus and Daniel followed him across the plate before the Catamounts halted the offensive fireworks with a change in pitchers that struck out two and enticed a third Cane to fly out.
Howard responded by striking out the three batters he faced in the top of the second, beginning a commanding performance in his evening's work.
In the bottom of the second, Cartersville scored when Zack Ross opened with a triple, then scored on a wild pitch.
Howard kept the Catamounts under control in the top of the third with two strikeouts and a pop fly.
Taylor Wilson next scored for Cartersville in the bottom of the third and Ross scored his second run of the evening in the fourth, as the Canes took a commanding 6-0 lead.
Justus took the mound for Cartersville in the top of the sixth inning and preserved the shutout.
Cartersville added four runs in the bottom of the frame with scores by Venters, Justus, Daniel and Cory Collum.
With the 10-0 victory, the Canes now sport a region record that is a perfect 1-0. But don't count on them getting complacent about it.
"This is just our third game of the season," Chester said. "We're still learning things about our team every day. In the past we would have played eight or nine games before we played in the region."
Those games usually allowed Cartersville a leisurely amount of time to identify which players could do what and the coaching staff could enter the region with a better grasp of how best to proceed to maximize chances of winning.
That luxury isn't available this year, and Chester said he knows little beyond Thursday night's win than the fact the Canes are 1-0.
"Tomorrow, 50 percent of the teams in the region," he said Thursday night, "will have 0-1 records. We're glad to be in the 50 percent that are 1-0."
Chester did say the field conditions for Thursday's game were remarkable considering the fact four inches of rain had left the field soggy.
"We want to thank Phoenix Air for using its helicopter to help dry the field and Clift Dempsey with Magnolia Lawn Care," he said. "With four inches of rain, it's just amazing they could get the field in as good a shape as they had it."
The Canes next play against Southeast Whitfield, another region foe, at home on Monday.