LaGRANGE, Ga. - LaGrange split games two and three of a three-game set on Saturday (Apr. 5) against the Blazers of Belhaven (20-10, 8-4 Collegiate Conference of the South), winning game one 15-5 in seven innings and falling in game two, 9-7. The Blazers took the series two games to one against the Panthers (14-15, 6-3 CCS). The doubleheader took place on Alumni Day, as all previous conference championship teams were honored dating back to 2004.
Game One
The Panthers jumped on Belhaven starter Colton Sylvester early in the first contest. In the bottom of the second inning, the Panthers used their bats to score five in the frame. The big hit came from
Jackson McElvy, who cranked a big double to left-center field to extend the lead to 3-0. A BU error and an RBI ground out by
David Smigelski pushed LC up early. After Belhaven responded with four of their own in the next two innings, the bats came back alive for LaGrange, and they never looked back. Three hits in the bottom of the fourth plated two runs, with a Smigelski double and a
Jorge Fragoso sacrifice fly pushing the Panthers to a 7-4 lead.
McElvy came up big again in the bottom of the fifth, hitting a huge three-run home run to push the lead to 10-4. After LC plated another run in the bottom of sixth and finished off the Blazers in the seventh, they scored four in the bottom half of the inning, with an
Eli Selby single finishing the Blazers off for good to force the run rule.
Starting pitcher
Eduardo Peralta picked up his second win of the season. The junior lefty went 5.1 innings, giving up five respective hits and runs, and struck out six on 102 pitches.
McElvy led the Panthers, going 4/4 at the plate. He had four runs batted in, including a home run and a double, as well as a walk. Smigelski, the catcher, had three hits of his own with three runs batted in.
Game Two
A back-and-forth contest did not fall the Panthers way in the rubber match of the series. The Blazers jumped early on starter
Trystin Merson, scoring four runs on the Dallas, Ga native in the top of the first. LC picked up two of their own in the bottom half of the inning, but left the bases loaded with Belhaven escaping further damage. LaGrange would continue to struggle throughout the contest leaving runners on base.
The Panthers let six Belhaven runners on the basepath in the next four innings, but were able to keep it close thanks to solid pitching by Merson. In only his sixth-ever appearance as a Panther, Merson gave up only three runs in his final six innings, striking out four in his 104-pitch outing. LC finally broke through in the bottom of the seventh, taking their first lead in game two thanks to a
Colby Zinser double and a
Jackson McElvy single to grab a 7-6 lead. Belhaven plated one in the top of the eighth, and for the second time, the Panthers left the bases loaded. Belhaven scored two off relievers
Caden Hare and
Nash Evans in the top of the ninth.
Riley George singled in the bottom half of the inning to start a rally for LaGrange, but it came up short.
Next Series
The Panthers will travel to Demorest, Ga. to play the Lions of Piedmont this weekend (Apr. 11-13). First pitch for Friday's contest is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Piedmont University's Loudermilk Field. For links to stream the game and live stats,
click here.
