LEXINGTON -- It may have helped if Marshall had been able to ease its way into the baseball season, but starting it against a powerful Lexington squad proved a tad difficult.

The Minutemen got a three-hit shutout from all-state junior right-hander Joe McLaughlin during Saturday's 5-0 non-conference victory.

McLaughlin, who struck out 11 batters, was 8-0 with a minuscule 1.06 earned-run average last year -- when Lexington finished third at the MSHSAA Class 2 Championships under former Owls assistant coach Brad McLaughlin, no relation to his hurler.

The Minutemen scored twice in the bottom of the second inning on a double junior Phoenix Harrison. Senior Michael Crim blanked Lexington over the next two frames, but two errors, two walks and sophomore Matt Ritchie's double produced two runs in the fifth.

Two more free passes and an error led to an unearned run for the Minutemen (2-0) in the sixth.

McLaughlin was grudging on the mound, issuing no walks and not allowing more than one base runner in any inning. Senior Kodi Phillips had two of Marshall's three hits.

The Owls (0-1) will be on the road today to take on Class 3, District 13 rival Boonville.