Eric Morell threw a complete game three-hitter to lead LaGrange to a 9-0 win over Huntingdon at Cleaveland Field in Williamson Stadium on Friday. 

The game was the first of a three-game USA South series between the Panthers and the Hawks. The Panthers upped their record to 2-3 overall and evened their conference record at 2-2. The Hawks are now 4-3 overall and in the conference.

Morell (1-2) threw the Panthers' first shutout since the 2013 season. He is the first Panther pitcher to throw a complete game shutout since Eric Medlock beat Mt. Aloysius 9-0 on Feb. 24, 2009. It was the Panthers' first shutout of Huntingdon since the 2002 season.

Morell retired the first 11 batters before Jordan Freeman's two-out single in the fourth. He walked the first two batters in the fifth but got a double play to help get out of the inning. In the seventh, Chris Laye made a nice running catch to end the inning with a runner on to help preserve the shutout.

The Panthers backed Morell with a season-high 16 hits. Laye, Casey Bell and Alec Redden all had three hits. Bell had a double included in his hits.

The Panthers gave Morell all the runs he needed in the third inning. They batted around in the inning, scoring five times for a 5-0 lead.

Cain Sauls' sacrifice fly drove in Keith Sims, who walked with one out. Redden and Laye followed with back-to-back RBI singles to make it 3-0. Beau Allen doubled to the gap in left center to drive in two more runs to make it 5-0.

The Panthers came back with three more runs in the fourth. Ty Edwards reached on a two-out error, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on Bell's double. Sauls drove in Bell with a double and scored on Redden's base hit to make it 8-0.

The Panthers added an unearned run in the fifth. Sim doubled with one out and stole third. With two outs, Bell's fly ball was dropped, allowing Sims to score to make it 9-0.

The two teams play a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.