March 31, 2010

Oglethorpe hands Panthers third loss in last four games

Oglethorpe took advantage of two LaGrange errors that led to five of the runs being unearned. Taylor Smith (2-3) took the loss for the Panthers. Smith pitched four innings, allowing three runs, two earned.

Smith was one of five pitchers used by the Panthers. Jake Adcock allowing two runs in an inning. Kenneth Strack gave up three unearned runs in 2-2/3 innings. Henry Jacobs gave up two runs, one earned in an inning. Cory Leff recorded the final out in the ninth inning.

The Panthers were held to eight hits in the game. Robbie Shelton and Zach Engesser had two hits each for the Panthers. Oglethorpe had four players with two hits and finished the game with 12 hits.

The Panthers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning without a hit. Shelton walked with two outs. He moved up on a wild pitch and a passed ball before scoring on an error.

Oglethorpe tied the game in the top of the third inning. The Panthers retook the lead in the bottom of t the inning. Eric Heath had an infield hit and later scored on David Miller's sacrifice fly for a 2-1 lead.

The Stormy Petrels took the lead for good with two runs each in the fourth and fifth innings to build a 5-2 lead. The Panthers got a run in the fifth and another in the sixth to cut the lead to 5-4. Miller and Amauri Smith each had a run-scoring single in the innings.

Oglethorpe scored three insurance runs in the eighth to build a four-run lead. The Panthers got their final run in the bottom of the inning. Shelton's single to right scored Derek Hooper to make it 8-5. The Stormy Petrels tacked on two more runs in the ninth for the 10-5 final.

The Panthers host Millsaps in a three-game series beginning Friday. The two teams will finish the series with a doubleheader on Saturday.