Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 ELSAH, ILL. – The Fontbonne Griffins hosted the Principia Panthers in a two-game matchup yesterday at Shaw Park in Clayton, Missouri. The Griffins swept the Panthers to improve to 10-9 (5-0 in conference) while the Panthers fell to 2-10 (2-7 in SLIAC play).
Game 1The first game of the doubleheader featured a strong pitching outing by senior captain,
Gavin Thomas. Thomas pitched all six innings for the Panthers, allowing five runs on seven hits. He struck out four batters while walking four as well.
The Griffins came out aggressive and scored three runs in the bottom half of the first inning. The Panthers answered back in the top half of the second inning when sophomore
Hunter Mehring doubled and then advanced to third base on a wild pitch and then scored on a passed ball. Although all five runs Thomas allowed were technically earned, there were several times where the Panthers had miscues on defense, so the box score is not indicative of how well he pitched, and may be misleading for those who were not in attendance.
Freshman dual-athlete,
Parker Davidson, had a solid game at the plate as he strung together a pair of base hits and drove in the lone RBI for the game for the Panthers. Sophomore catcher,
Logan McDowell, was the only other Panther with a multi-hit performance. He had a pair of line drive singles in his three at bats.
The Panthers tacked on three more runs in the fourth inning to take a 4-3 lead. However, the Griffins responded by posting two runs in the home half of the fourth inning. Both teams were held scoreless after the fourth inning, with the Griffins taking game one by a score of 5-4.
In the top half of the seventh inning,
Ed Bargmann lead off with a single to right field and things were looking promising for the Panthers. However, Bargmann was caught stealing on what was supposed to be a hit and run moments later. The next two Panther batters were retired consecutively and unfortunately for the Panthers, powerhouse
Hunter Mehring, who has been scorching hot lately, was left in the on-deck circle when the ballgame ended.
Game 2The second game began at 3:25 p.m. and it was all Fontbonne early on. The Griffins rallied for a four-run first inning and never looked back. The Griffins took the latter game, 12-4.
Christian Thomas played a great game, chipping in with three base hits to go along with three RBI. The Panthers also received two hits apiece from sophomores
Bryce Murray and
Logan McDowell. McDowell had a very nice day, going 3-6 with an RBI in the two games, while also doing a great job behind the plate this entire weekend.
Other bright spots from the second game of the afternoon were how well freshman,
Bucky Brewer, and sophomore,
Jemlok Farson, pitched out of the bullpen. Brewer three innings in relief, allowing two earned runs, while Farson came in and only allowed one base runner (on a walk) in two innings of work. Both Brewer and Farson did a tremendous job coming in and throwing strikes and attacking the Griffin hitters.
The Panthers return to action this Tuesday, March 31, when they will square off in a non-conference doubleheader against the Illinois College Blue Boys at Lenz Field in Jacksonville, Illinois. Look for the Panthers to come out and play with more consistent energy and focus and to compete well in both games.
