SOUTH DEERFIELD — What began as a slow game offensively turned into a blowout after an eight-run fifth inning led the Frontier Regional baseball team to a 12-2 win over Athol, Monday.

The Red Hawks (5-0) led 1-0 entering the fifth. After Connor Waitkus (single) and Jacob Bryant (walk) reached base, Dylan Apanell drove both in with a single to make it 3-0. From there, the Red Hawks batted through the order with eight different players reaching home plate.

“Most of our runs come in one inning,” senior captain Ben Arnold said. “Every game we’ll score four in an inning or seven in an inning so that’s pretty typical of us.”

Athol used three pitchers in the fifth inning.

The Red Hawks loaded the bases in the first inning, but left all three stranded when batters 4, 5, and 6 went down, two by strikeout.

Frontier scored its first run in the second when Kalen Evans reached on an error, stole second base and came around to score on a sacrifice groundout from Arnold.

The Red Hawks loaded the bases again in the third. Evans made contact with the ball, but it went directly at pitcher Nicholas Bousquet, who dropped it initially, but recovered to throw Evans out and keep the game at a one-run deficit.

Arnold pitched through the fifth and earned the win in his third start of the year. He finished with nine strikeouts, two walks and no runs allowed. Arnold allowed one baserunner through the first three innings. Athol did not reach third against Arnold.

Arnold said his team’s defense helps.

“With the defense we have, I’m not afraid to just throw strikes and let them try to hit the ball,” Arnold said. “If you keep it low and make them hit ground balls, they’re not going to squeeze it through the infield.”

Frontier has scored at least 10 runs in four out of five games this season. Earlier in the season, coach Chris Williams said that a lack of power hitting was a concern, but a core of new hitters has since stepped into that role.

“We’ve had a couple of guys, Connor Waitkus, Dylan Apanell, Jacob Bryant, they’ve been smashing the ball pretty good for us,” Williams said. “We’ve had a good core of guys just putting good wax on the baseball, and we’re looking for that to keep going.”

Frontier plays at Easthampton at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.