DAVENPORT, FL – After a day off filled with mini golf and pool time, the Principia Panthers matched up against the College of St. Scholastica Saints (MN) in a single 9 inning matchup on Thursday.
The game was all pitching and defense early. Salvador Flores made the start on the mound for the Panthers, and both teams scattered two hits apiece through four scoreless innings. In the top of the fifth, Braxton Ramsey singled and Josh Dement doubled to put runners in scoring position with one out. Dean Wood grounded out to second picking up the first RBI of the game, and Ben Perrine singled in Dement to take a 2-0 lead through five. The Saints strung together 5 hits in the 6th and plated two runs to even the score 2-2. In the seventh, things unraveled for the Panthers as the Saints put the offensive pressure on with four hits. That combined with the help of two Panther errors, the Saints to took a five run lead. The Saints picked up five more in the eighth to 10-run the Panthers and end the game an inning early.
Stat of the Game: Salvador Flores gave the Panthers a big quality start going six innings scattering eight hits, no walks, and only two runs.
Did You Know: St. Scholastica is off to a hot start this season sitting at 9-1, while the Panthers entered at 5-7. This was the first ever meeting between the two colleges.
Marston's Minute: "These are tough games to swallow, because we play so well, compete against a tough team and the final score doesn't indicate how we actually played for most of the game. Salvy did a heck of a job on the mound keeping things close."
Up Next: The Panthers will face Lakeland University and Knox College in two 9 inning games on the last full day in Florida. The Lakeland game will be played at Lake Myrtle Park at 9:00 am, and then the Panthers will head to Northeast Regional Park to face Knox for a 3:30 pm start.
