ELSAH, IL – The Panthers baseball team opened up conference play on Saturday as they hosted the Blackburn College Beavers for a doubleheader at Cheatham Stadium.
Game 1: Blackburn 10, Principa 1
Principia struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities in their conference opener, dropping the first game 10-1 against the Blackburn Beavers.
Micah Cook made the start, throwing five innings and allowing five runs (four earned).
Ethan Booth and
Salvador Flores combined for four innings of relief, giving up five runs while striking out four.
Offensively, the Panthers collected seven hits, led by
Tyler Gingras with two.
Kailis Mayo,
Skyler Stock,
Cooper Martinez,
Rat Mean, and
Braxton Ramsey each contributed a hit. Despite putting runners on base, the Panthers left 12 stranded, unable to come through with the clutch hit needed to shift momentum.
Game 2: Blackburn 15, Principia 10
Game two saw the Panthers mount a furious comeback after falling behind 11-0, but a late Blackburn surge put the game out of reach.
Koye Calzada got the start, allowing eight runs (five earned) over five innings.
Nick Dolci followed in relief, throwing two innings with three strikeouts but surrendering three more runs.
The Panthers' offense ignited in the sixth, capitalizing on a leadoff walk and two errors.
Dean Wood's RBI single got the Panthers on the board before
Josh Dement drove in two more with a bases-loaded single. The big blow came from
Braxton Ramsey, who launched his first home run of the season, cutting the deficit to four and giving the Panthers renewed life.
Justice Fortson doubled to lead off the seventh, and Wood added another RBI groundout to trim the deficit to three. In the eighth, Ramsey struck again, belting his second home run of the game. Fortson and Wood kept the rally alive with another RBI single, bringing the Panthers within one run. However, Blackburn responded in the ninth with two home runs of their own, including a three-run shot that sealed the 15-10 final.
The Panthers racked up 13 hits in the game, led by
Kailis Mayo's three-hit performance. Ramsey, Fortson, Gingras, and Wood each had two hits, with Ramsey driving in four runs and Wood adding three RBIs.
Looking ahead: The Panthers to the field on Tuesday to host Westminster College at home for a doubleheader, with first pitch set for 1:00 pm.
