ELSAH, IL – The Principia baseball team hosted the Blackburn College Beavers on Tuesday for a non-conference doubleheader and came away with a team victory in game one behind timely hitting and strong pitching performances.
Game 1: Panthers 8, Beavers 4
Freshman right-hander
Koye Calzada earned his second win of the season, tossing 5.1 innings without allowing an earned run. Calzada escaped early trouble in the first inning after a single and double put two Beavers in scoring position. He responded with back-to-back strikeouts to keep the game scoreless.
The Panthers wasted no time getting on the board.
Braxton Ramsey led off with a single, followed by a double from
Kailis Mayo.
Justice Fortson lifted a sacrifice fly to center to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.
Blackburn struck back in the third, capitalizing on Panther miscues to plate three unearned runs. Principia answered immediately.
Cole Christensen singled and stole second, then scored on a
Tyler Gingras single. Fortson's steal led to an error that allowed Gingras to score, tying the game at 3-3. After the Beavers briefly took a 4-3 lead in the top of the fourth, the Panthers again responded. Two-out singles from the lineup tied the game at 4.
The decisive blow came in the fifth. Ramsey was hit by a pitch, Mayo singled, and Fortson drew a walk to load the bases.
Dean Wood delivered a two-RBI single, and
Skyler Stock added another run with a single to give Principia a 7-4 lead.
Calzada exited in the sixth after a strong outing, and
Nick Dolci came on in relief, stranding runners and keeping the Beavers off the board. In the bottom of the sixth,
Josh Bayless drove in pinch-runner
Dawson Short to add an insurance run. Dolci finished the game with a 1-2-3 seventh inning, securing his first save of the year.
Game 2: Beavers 4, Panthers 2
Cole Christensen got the start in game two and set the tone with a quick 1-2-3 first inning. The Panthers again struck early. Gingras drew a leadoff walk, stole second, and came around to score on a two-out RBI single by Fortson – Principia's only hit of the game. Christensen continued his strong outing with another perfect frame in the second. Three walks and a wild pitch helped the Panthers extend their lead to 2-0.
Blackburn answered with an unearned run in the third, and took the lead in the fourth with a pair of RBI plays following a bases-loaded jam. The Beavers added an insurance run in the sixth, but Fortson's strong throw from the outfield cut down a runner at the plate, keeping the game within reach.
Logan Cadey took the mound in the seventh and worked through trouble, inducing a flyout with the bases loaded to end the threat. However, the Panthers' offense couldn't find the late spark they needed.
Looking ahead: The Panthers return to conference action this weekend as they travel to GCS Ballpark in Sauget, Illinois, to face Webster University in a doubleheader on Saturday. First pitch is set for 1:00 pm.
