The Portage Padres remain tied for first place in the Santa Clara Baseball League standings.

The Padres improved to 3-0 last night after dismantling the Neepawa Cubs with a 17-6 victory on their home field. Pitcher William Hlady says the best time to be out on the diamond is when the bats are rolling.

"It's the best when you're on the mound, and the boys are behind you, picking up runs. You don't have to bear down as much as you usually do. It's nice to be out here to play baseball with them and get some run support."

Through three games, the Portage offence has been unstoppable, averaging over 13 runs per contest. Hlady says picking up wins early will bode well down the stretch.

"It's a pretty nice feeling to be undefeated. It makes things later on a lot easier. We don't have to worry about those wins now but hopefully, we can keep this going."

He describes how they plan to keep this hot streak going into Austin on Friday.

"I think we just have to have fun with it and not put pressure on ourselves," Hlady explains. "Hitting is contagious, as we've been putting up a lot of runs lately. Hopefully, that keeps going, and we don't run out of gas before the end of the year."

The Padres hit the road to Austin tomorrow night for a meeting with the Austin A's.