LaGRANGE, Ga. - LaGrange head coach David Kelton picked up career win No. 300 as the Panthers handled Berry 8-2 on Friday afternoon at Cleaveland Field in Williamson Stadium. The Panthers upped their season record to 8-6 with their fourth straight win. Berry slipped to 8-7 with their second loss of the season to LC.

Kelton is in his 12th season at the helm for LaGrange. He has a career record of 300-158. Under Kelton, the Panthers have won two USA South regular season titles, along with five straight USA South tournament championships. The Panthers were the 2023 Collegiate Conference of the South regular season champions. LC has made five NCAA Division III national tournament appearances. The Panthers have won a Regional and Super Regional title, while tying for third at the 2022 NCAA Division III World Series.

Junior Eduardo Peralta (2-1) held Berry to the two runs on five hits in seven innings of work. The Vikings came into the game batting .352 as a team and averaging over 11 runs a game. Peralta walked just two and struck out seven. Nick Morgan and Evan Jackson each threw a scoreless inning. 

Noah Preuer went 4-for-4, including a double, with a run scored and two RBIs. Colby Zinser had three hits and scored a run. Fletcher Hislop had two doubles, while Eli Selby and Jorge Fragoso each had a double. The Panthers finished with 15 hits in the game.

The Panthers broke up a scoreless game in the third inning. Collin Jones walked to lead off the inning and went to third on Preuer's double. Berry starter Jackson Halla (1-2) recorded the next two outs and had David Smigelski down two strikes. Smigelski lined a single to right center to score both Jones and Preuer for a 2-0 lead.

LaGrange built a 5-1 lead with a run in each of the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings. Preuer had a run-scoring single in the fourth and Fragoso doubled in a run in the fifth. In the sixth, Zinser came home as Adam Dorn reached on a two-out error.

The Panthers added three insurance runs in the seventh inning. LC strung together four straight hits, the last two by Jones and Preuer to drive in the first two runs. Zinser scored the third run as Riley George reached on a fielder's choice.

Up Next: The Panthers take on Marietta (Ohio) on Saturday at Berry College beginning at 1 p.m. They will face host Berry on Sunday at 4 p.m.