DAVENPORT, FL – The Panthers Baseball team matched up against the University of Maine Farmington Beavers for a single 9 inning matchup on Tuesday for the third game of their spring training trip to central Florida.
Logan Cadey made the start for the Panthers and had a 1-2-3 first. Gavin Matchell and Skyler Stock led off the second with two singles, and after a walk loaded the bases, Matchell scored on a wild pitch to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead. The Beavers were able to escape without any further damage and picked up an unearned run in the second to tie things up. In the top of the third, Kailis Mayo singled to center with two outs and had to turn on the jets to score from first on a triple off the bat of Matchell. The Panthers added some momentum in the fourth as Ryan D'Amico came up with two out and the bases loaded and doubled to left center to clear the bases. Mayo then picked up his second single to score D'Amico and take a 6-1 lead.
The Beavers plated three in the fourth on a triple down the left field line after an error and two singles loaded the bases. Farmington were looking to have an even bigger inning, but Cadey struck out the next batter and induced the inning-ending 1-6-3 double play to end the threat. The Beavers kept on the pressure in the fifth as a two out walk, error and two singles tied things up 6-6. Cole Christensen entered to pitch, and after a walk, another error allowed three Farmington runs to score giving the Beavers their first lead of the game.
The Panthers capitalized on an two out error that extended the sixth. With two on, Matchell drove a no doubter to deep left field for his third home run of the season to knot things back up at 9. After Principia gave up three runs in the bottom of the sixth, Ben Perrine doubled in a run to cut the deficit to two. Unfortunately for the Panthers, Farmington tacked on two more in the seventh and three more in the eighth to put the game out of reach as Principia fell 17-11.
Stat of the Game: The Panthers outhit the Beavers 17 to 12 but were unable to over come 5 defensive errors and 10 free passes (walks and hit by pitches) issued.
Marston's Minute: "It was an exciting game against a good opponent who took advantage of our defensive miscues and some free bases. Our bats came out swinging and made it a close battle. We're young and learning, and as long as we can come away from games like these and correct our mistakes, were going to move in the right direction. Instead of hanging our heads, we came away from today with our heads held high and ready to keep improving with three more games on the trip."
Up Next: The Panthers will get a day off in sunny Florida and will return to action on Thursday at 4:00 pm ET to face St. Scholastica in a single 9 inning game.
