Povse and Green Hope emerged with a 3-0 win over Williams and Athens Drive Tuesday on Green Hope's field.

Povse, who has signed with UNC-Greensboro, struck out 10 while shutting out the Jaguars on three hits in six innings. When the 6-foot-8 right-hander reached his pitch limit of 65 with Major League Baseball scouts in the stands, Green Hope coach Mike Miragliuolo had Daniel Sontag work the seventh inning for the save.

Williams, who has signed with N.C. State, struck out nine and didn't allow an earned run while giving up five hits in his six innings of work.

"We kind of figured it would be that kind of game with those two pitchers,” Miragliuolo said. “Williams is always in low-scoring games and Max was right on today. For Max to get through six innings on that few of pitches was the key for us. Hopefully we'll be able to send him longer later in the year.”

Miragliuolo was especially cautious with Povse's pitch count since he had finished basketball season only 11 days ago, although he had been throwing during the winter.

"I was on a schedule of throwing three days and taking a day off,” Povse said. “It was basically getting back to my mechanics and feeling comfortable on the mound again.”

Athens Drive didn't get its first hit off Povse until Williams beat out an infield single on a ball up the middle to lead off the fourth inning. But then Povse struck out the next three batters.

The Jaguars didn't get a ball out of the infield until a two-out single in the sixth inning by Williams on a sharp grounder between shortstop and third base. A ground-ball fielding error and then an infield single by Ben Snotherly loaded the bases, but Povse got out of the inning on a groundout to second base.

Green Hope didn't score off Williams until the fifth inning with the help of a two-out error. Nestor Gomez reached first base when he was hit by a pitch and then he stole second. Gomez advanced to third when Luca Scesi's grounder was booted.

That brought up leadoff batter Jonathan Grudee, who punched a sharply hit ball to right field between the second baseman and first baseman. Grudee and Williams are former teammates from youth leagues baseball, so Grudee said he relied on years of experience from playing with and against his long-time friend.

"I know he likes to throw outside, so I was trying to go to right field,” Grudee said. “I've faced him a lot of times in spring, summer and fall ball – everywhere – and most times he's had my number.”

Green Hope's final two runs came when a misplayed ball to left field went for a double and scored both Scesi and Grudee.

"Both guys pitched really well,” Athens Drive coach Joey Bell said. “But we didn't score when we had a chance to and we made an error we shouldn't have made. But it was a game with two guys that pitched really well.”