It wasn’t a no-hitter but it was a shutout and win.

The South Whidbey High School baseball team opened North Sound Conference play with a 5-0 win at Granite Falls Monday, March 18.

The game is under protest. The Granite Falls coach protested the game after his pitcher was ejected for hitting his seven Falcon with a pitch with one out in the fifth inning.

South Whidbey began the season with two no-hitters in a pair of non-league games. A one-out single by a Tiger in the first inning ended the string of 14 no-hit innings, but Ethan Petty, Brent Batchelor and Drew Fry combined to pitch a three-hitter with 12 strikeouts.

The Falcons scored the only run they needed in the first inning. Alex Black was hit by a pitch and eventually scored on a wild pitch.

It stayed 1-0 until the fourth when South Whidbey added another run. Luke Rookstool was hit by a pitch and later scored on Jon Bartel’s base hit.

In the fifth, the Falcons tacked on two more runs. Dexter Jokinen reached on a fielder’s choice, then Nick Black and Rookstool hit back-to-back singles.

Bartel doubled in the fifth and scored on an error.

Bartel finished the game with three of the Falcons’ five hits.

Petty pitched three innings and struck out five. Batchelor also fanned five in two and a third innings.

Granite Falls (0-1, 1-3) comes to South Whidbey (1-0, 3-0) at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 20, for the second game in the three-game series.