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Shelton's home run helps Panthers split doubleheader with Millsaps

The second game win also stopped a three-game losing for the Panthers, now 16-14. Millsaps is 18-11 and has lost five of its last seven games. The two teams conclude their three-game series Saturday beginning at noon at Cleaveland Field.

Millsaps had taken a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning off Panther starter Doug Scherer, who was making his first start of the season. Scherer allowed three hits on his first three pitches to load the bases.

Scherer got Jules Roussel to hit into a double play as a run scored. Tyler Berry's base hit drove in the second run. After the first inning, Scherer allowed only one hit in his final five innings of work.

The Panthers tied the game with a run in the third inning and another in the fifth. Derek Hooper walked in the third and came around to score on Robbie Shelton's flare hit to left field. In the fifth, Eric Heath doubled to right center and Shelton followed with a single to drive in the tying run.

James Connell (4-1) pitched two scoreless innings in relief of Scherer. Connell allowed a leadoff double in the eighth inning to Trey Rountree and a one-out walk. He stranded both runners by striking out the final two batters to end the inning.

Shelton broke the tie, leading off the eighth inning with an opposite field home run to left field off Shelby Robertson (3-2). It was Shelton's team-leading seventh home run of the season.

One out later, with runners on first and second, Dale Feldman cleared the bases with a double to the gap in left center to make it 5-2. The Panthers added two more runs as Hooper and Heath each walked with the bases loaded to up the lead to 7-2.

The Majors staged a rally in the ninth inning, loading the bases with one out off reliever James Yancey. Jonathan Love relieved Yancey and issued a walk and hit a batter to force in two runs to make it 7-4.

With the bases loaded and two outs, Love faced Josh Ordeneaux. Ordeneaux hit a line drive to left center that left fielder Amauri Smith ran down for the third out to end the game. Smith had entered the game in the eighth inning for defensive purposes.

Shelton led the Panthers' 10-hit attack with three hits and RBIs each. Feldman and Jordan Martinec each had two hits.

The Majors took advantage of four errors in the first game that led to three unearned runs. Neal Smith (3-3) threw six strong innings for the Panthers, allowing four runs, but only two were earned. He walked three and struck out five.

Trailing 4-0, the Panthers got a run in each of the third and fourth innings. Heath drove in pinch-runner Matt Hvizdzak with a single for the Panthers' first run. David Miller reached on an error in the fourth and eventually scored on Derek Hooper's sacrifice fly to make it 4-2.

The Majors got an unearned run off Trevor Tullock in the eighth inning to go up 5-2. Connell got the final two outs of the inning. Kenneth Strack retired the Majors in order in the ninth inning.

The Panthers were held to five hits. Heath was the only player in the game with two hits. Millsaps had seven hits in the game.

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