Dunston begins season on high note
One game into the season and Shawon Dunston has made 2012 look like a distant memory.
The Cubs prospect went 4-for-6 with a double, a stolen base and a run scored on Friday night as short-season Boise opened the Northwest League season with a 7-0 victory at Eugene.
The 20-year-old outfielder led off the game with a double and stole third. He singled in his next two at-bats, scoring in the Hawks' five-run third inning, before grounding out in the sixth. He singled again in the eighth and narrowly missed a fifth hit when he flied to center field in the eighth.
Selected by the Cubs in the 11th round of the 2011 Draft, Dunston had a rough season with Boise in 2012. He went 12-for-65 before heading to the Rookie-level Arizona League, where he batted .286 with two homers, 24 RBIs and four steals in 39 games.
Back in the Northwest League, the California native recorded his first career four-hit game.
The son of the former Major League All-Star of the same name, Dunston is aware of the pressure he's facing in his second season as a pro, tweeting on Wednesday:
Have the most to prove than anybody. No one has not been through the adversity I had to go through. New year, new season, new me. #ballout
- shawon dunston jr (@SdunstonJr333) June 13, 2013
Jacob Rogers hit a solo homer and Kevin Encarnacion doubled, singled and drove in a run for Boise, which had not won its season opener since 2008. James Pugliese (1-0) struck out seven and gave up three hits over five innings to earn the victory.
Robert Emrich is a contributor to MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobertEmrich.