ELSAH, IL - The Principia Baseball team hosted the Maranatha Baptist Sabercats from Wisconsin for a Saturday doubleheader after Friday's game was canceled due to rain. The Panthers enjoyed the week off from classes and warm weather as they geared up for this weekend series.
Chris Strong took the bump in game one and had a quick one-two-three inning, thanks to some outstanding defense by Alex Zozaya at third. In the top of the second, Strong stuck out the first two batters before Maranatha picked up the game's first hit with a two-out double. Strong was unfazed and struck out the side to strand the lone baserunner.
The Sabercats scored first in the top of the third after two Panther errors allowed baserunners to move into scoring position and a sac fly plated the first run. As Maranatha tried to score another, a heads-up relay by first baseman, Tim Eissler, caught the batter trying to advance to second before the run scored to end the inning.
With the Panther offense unable to produce early, Maranatha stretched their lead to three with three doubles in the top of the fourth. Again, the Panther defense stopped a big rally as Casey Golbiw cut down a runner at the plate with a perfect throw from center field.
The Panther bats started to come alive in the bottom of the fourth as back-to-back singles by Golbiw and Salvador Flores plus a hit by pitch loaded the bases. The Panthers then grounded into a double play, but still got on their first run across. Owen Murphy then walked and stole second, allowing Flores to score on the throw to second cutting the Sabercats' lead to 3-2.
In the bottom of the fifth, Eissler singled and eventually scored on a Golbiw single to tie things up at three. Ryan D'Amico then doubled in the go ahead run with two outs as the Panthers took their first lead of the game. Maranatha would tie things up in the 6th before the Panthers would score three unearned runs in the bottom of the inning and wouldn't look back.
Alex Zozaya came in to pitch the top of the 7th and picked up his first career save as Strong picked up his first career win.
Game two found the Panthers behind early as the Sabercats scored two in the first with Salvador Flores on the mound making his second start. The Panthers would erase the lead with two runs of their own in the bottom of the frame as Jack Adler doubled and was driven in by Eissler. Flores then helped his own cause with an RBI single to left field scoring Eissler. That hit was Flores' fourth of the day, the most of any Panther.
Flores settled in on the mound in the second and struck out the side. The Panthers took the lead in the bottom of the third on a Golbiw RBI single. Two more runs would score on a dropped flyball to center as the Panthers took a 5-2 lead.
Maranatha wouldn't go quietly as they chipped away at the lead scoring a single run in the fourth to cut the lead to two. However, in the bottom of the sixth, D'Amico, Murphy, and Jeremy Ramirez-Garcia each singled to load the bases. Then with one out, Adler doubled to center to drive in two big insurance runs. Zozaya took the mound for the 7th again and delivered three quick outs as the Panthers picked up their second win of the day and the season.
Up Next: The Panthers head to Fulton, MO for their first conference matchup next week with a three game series starting Friday at 4 pm.
