CLARKSVILLE, AR – The Panthers Baseball team opened up the 2024 campaign with two losses to the University of the Ozarks Eagles. With snow falling back home, the Panthers traveled south to avoid the winter weather but the cool temperatures followed.
Micah Cook made the start for Principia in game one. The Eagles took an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. A scoreless second kept the Panthers in the hunt in part thanks to Principia catcher Ryan D'Amico nabbing a base runner trying to steal third. In his first career college at bat, Dean Wood notched the Panthers' first hit and run of the season with a solo shot to left in the bottom of the third. D'Amico hit a solo shot in the fourth. Then in the 6th, after a D'Amico walk and a Gavin Matchell single, Braxton Ramsey picked up his first collegiate RBI grounding out to short. Charlie Reiss and Salvador Flores combined to throw the final three and a third innings as the Eagles took game one by a final score of 11-3.
The Panthers jumped to an early lead in game two. With two outs in the top of the first, D'Amico doubled and Matchell singled up the middle to pick up his first career RBI. Logan Cadey made his first collegiate start on the mound for Principia, and after calming the nerves after a lead off walk, he induced a fly out to CF, picked off the runner at first, and retired the three hole hitter on a pop out to short. Walks and a defensive miscue haunted the Panthers in the bottom of the second as the Eagles jumped to a 8-1 lead. After Ethan Booth threw a scoreless third inning, Matchell and Kailis Mayo hit back-to-back jacks in the fourth to chip away at the Eagles' lead. Nick Dolci threw a scoreless bottom of the fourth in his first collegiate appearance. Mayo homered again in the sixth, but the Eagles ultimately won game two 12-4.
Stat of the Game: The Panthers scored seven runs on the weekend, and five came from the long ball. Kailis Mayo hit two home runs in game two of double header. When asked about his first homer in the top of the fourth, Mayo said, "The pitcher gave me a fastball that was left over the plate and I knew it was gone off the bat. I was looking for the fastball as they were relying on their fastballs, so I knew one was coming."
Did You Know: The Panthers have 11 freshman this year. Eight Panthers made their first collegiate starts – Skyler Stock at 3B, Gavin Matchell in RF, Braxton Ramsey at DH, Cole Christensen in CF, Dean Wood at SS, Logan Cadey at P, Rat Mean in LF, and Josh Dement in CF – while all three others (Charlie Reiss, Nick Dolci, and Josh Bayless) made their first collegiate pitching appearance.
Marston's Minute: "I'm really excited for the season. We have a great group and did a lot of things well. This was our first weekend and we have a lot of young guys contributing this year, and that combination of first game jitters and collegiate experience made a huge difference this weekend. Obviously the end results weren't what we wanted, and we have a lot of work to do to get where we need to be, but there were many bright spots today. Overall, I'm grateful for a solid start to the season."
Up Next: The Panthers are back in action next weekend for their home opening series with three games against Kalamazoo College. Game one will be Friday at 2:00 pm, followed by a doubleheader starting at noon on Saturday.
