ELSAH, IL – The Principia Baseball team continued conference play this weekend by hosting the Blackburn Beavers for a three game series on Friday and Saturday. The highlight of the series was winning the first game of Saturday's doubleheader in a 18-15 thriller for the Panthers' first win against a SLIAC opponent since March of 2020.
In Saturday's victory, Ethan Booth was given the start on the mound and gave the Panthers the opening frames they were looking for. After allowing a lead off double in the first, Booth settled in to get the next three Beaver batters to strand the runner at third. Booth followed that up by tossing two more shutout innings in the second and third, stranding Blackburn runners in scoring position both times.
The Panthers got on the board the home half of the second. A lead off single by Tim Eissler got things going, and then a walk and a bunt loaded the bases. Grayle Kendall would then work the count before getting hit by the pitch to plate the first Panther run. After a wild pitch brought in a second run, the Panthers would tack on two more on a ball driven to deep center by Ryan D'Amico. Principia added to their lead in the third when Tim Eissler crushed a ball off the scoreboard in left for a two-run shot and his first home run of the season.
After the Beavers cut the Panther lead to two by plating four runs in the top of the fourth, Kailis Mayo hit his third home run of the season in the bottom of the inning to increase Principia's lead to 8-4. The Beavers then made a change on the mound, and Salvador Flores greeted the new pitcher by going yard for back-to-back Panther home runs. In the fifth, Blackburn got three runs back to cut the lead to two again before the Panthers made it 10-7 on a two-out RBI single by Ben Perrine.
Booth would then fire two consecutive scoreless frames – including a one-two-three seventh inning – to move the Panthers six outs away from victory. Booth then helped out his own cause in the bottom of the seventh with a towering 2-run shot for the Panthers' fourth long ball of the game. Principia was now one home run away from tying a school record for most home runs in one game.
Down 13-7 with two innings to play, Blackburn wouldn't go quietly. In the top of the eighth, the Beavers would score four runs to bring the Beavers within two runs of tying the game. With the bases loaded and one out, Salvador Flores came in to pitch and got two big outs to preserve the lead with only one more Beaver crossing the plate as the frame ended with the Principia leading 13-12.
With the Beavers closing in fast, the Panthers knew they needed insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth. With one out, Alejandro Zozaya singled and Hunter LeBlanc and Booth were both hit by pitch to load the bases. Ben Perrine then came through in the clutch with one of the Panthers' biggest hits of the season. On a 1-1 count, he smoked a grand slam over the left field fence for his first career home run and Principia's record-tying fifth of the game.
Later in the inning, Mayo would single in D'Amico for one more insurance run to give the Panthers an 18-12 lead heading into the top of the ninth. Flores worked to shut the door and picked up a quick out on a fly ball to center. However, the Beavers weren't done yet and strung together a double plus three straight singles to plate three runs. Flores was able to induce two ground ball outs to end the threat and give the Panthers their first conference victory of the season.
After the team honored their lone senior Jeremy Ramirez-Garcia in between games, the Panthers ran out of steam in the second leg of the doubleheader and were unable to score in a seven inning loss. Eissler led the Panthers with two hits while Gavin Brustman made his second pitching appearance of the weekend with a scoreless final inning.
In Friday evening's Panther loss to open the series, Casey Golbiw led the Principia offense with two hits and two runs scored while five other Panthers each tallied a hit. Principia got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Eissler drove in Golbiw with a sac fly. Ethan Booth followed that up with an RBI double to left driving in Mayo. Golbiw would score again the sixth when Alejandro Zozaya drew a bases loaded walk. After pinch hit singles by Cayden Hazelrigg and Grayle Kendall started off the seventh inning, Salvador Flores knocked in Hazelrigg with a 2-out RBI double.
Up Next: The Panthers are back in action next Friday and Saturday on the road in Kentucky against Spalding University.
