ELSAH, IL – The Principia baseball team hosted Maranatha Baptist at Cheatham Stadium this weekend and put together a complete performance across three games. The Panthers swept the Sabercats behind quality pitching and a relentless offensive attack as they outscored MBU by a combined score of 47-8.
Game 1: Principia 13, Maranatha Baptist 0
The Panthers opened the series on Friday night with a statement win, blanking Maranatha Baptist 13-0 behind a stellar start from freshman
Tyler Baggiore.
Baggiore threw 6.2 scoreless innings, allowing just 3 hits while striking out 8 to earn the win. The Panthers backed him with early run support, scoring 3 times in the first inning and adding 2 more in the second to seize control.
Offensively,
Johnny Garcia and
Josh Dement each drove in three runs, while
Gage Vanlandingham drove in two and finished with a team-high 3 hits. Principia added an eight-run sixth inning to put the game out of reach.
Game 2: Principia 15, Maranatha Baptist 5
Principia kept the momentum going in the series opener Saturday, opening up an early lead and never looking back in a 15-5 victory.
Logan Cadey earned the win, working 5.2 innings while allowing just two earned runs and holding the Sabercats in check. The Panthers struck early with three runs in the first inning and continued to pressure throughout, including a 7-run fifth inning.
The lineup produced 18 hits, led again by
Gage Vanlandingham and
Johnny Garcia with 4 hits each.
Josh Dement tripled and drove in 3 runs while
Skyler Stock had a pair of doubles, finishing with four RBIs.
Game 3: Principia 19, Maranatha Baptist 3
The Panthers completed the sweep in emphatic fashion in game two on Saturday, posting an emphatic 19-3 victory behind another balanced effort.
Koye Calzada picked up the win on the mound, striking out six over four innings while surrendering just two runs. The Panthers broke the game open with a 9-run third inning, sending 14 batters to the plate.
At the plate,
Kailis Mayo went a perfect 4-for-4 with two RBIs, while
Cole Christensen drove in a five runs and hit his first collegiate home run.
Skyler Stock also went deep to add to his team-leading 18 RBIs this season.
Series by the Numbers
- Principia Hit Leaders:
- Principia RBI Leaders:
- Principia Runs Scored Leaders:
- Principia K Leaders: (21 strikeouts)
- Principia Innings Pitched:
Next Up
The Panthers will play at Lloyd Hopkins Field in Alton this coming Tuesday at 6:30 pm against UHSP. They will then continue conference play with a weekend series at Greenville University.
