PEARL, Miss. – A rain delay lasting several hours could not stop the LaGrange College baseball team from winning 10-7 over second-seeded Belhaven University in the Opening Round of the Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) playoffs on Wednesday evening at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Mississippi. With the victory, the fifth-seeded Panthers (20-17, 8-10 CCS) advance to the quarterfinals and will play again on Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. (local time) where they will face the loser of #3 Maryville College and #4 Huntingdon College, who are scheduled to play at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Down 4-0 in the top of the third inning, the Panthers got on the board when LaGrange freshman centerfielder Tanner Morneau (Marietta, Ga.) hit a two-RBI double down the leftfield line to drive in senior second baseman Evan Graham (Roswell, Ga.) and senior third baseman Colin Jones (Duluth, Ga.). Three batters later, graduate left fielder Jorge Fragoso (East Point, Ga.) stepped to the plated with the bases loaded and drew a walk, plating senior shortstop Jackson McElvy (Kennesaw, Ga.). On the very next at bat, freshman leftfielder Ben Edge (Newnan, Ga.) singled to left, driving in Morneau and junior designated hitter Nicholas Ford (Canton, Ga.), giving LaGrange their first lead of the day.
- Still leading 5-4 in the top of the fifth inning, Edge stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and battled his way to a full count before ultimately walking, allowing senior first baseman Curt Bonner (Cartersville, Ga.) to score from third. On the next at-bat, senior catcher Carson Burgamy (Woodstock, Ga.) had an RBI fielder's choice as Ford crossed home plate. Three batters later, McElvy – the Panthers' top player all season long – stepped up with the bases load and cracked a double to right center to drive in three more runs, giving LaGrange ten on the day.
- LaGrange freshman pitcher Aiden Pluff (Richmond Hill, Ga.) picked up his fourth win of the season in his first career playoff game, going six innings and striking out four with four earned runs against.
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