After scoring 17 runs in their first five games combined and beginning the season 0-5, the Panthers broke out for 21 runs to thump the Pirates and claim their first win of the season in a 21-8 win.
“It’s definitely good to go and get a W,” said head coach Travis Greenlee. “They’ve been working hard and they kept a positive attitude. We knew what we were doing was taking us in the right direction, so to actually see it on the scoreboard was a good thing.”
The visiting Panthers piled up 18 hits in the contest, and it seemed like each player got a piece of the action.
Ian Roberson and Isiah Pena each had three hits; Roberson, Coby Baer and Aron and Jasen Engel all scored three times; and Roberson, Baer and Cutter Mathews each finished with three RBIs.
But more important than stats is what Greenlee considers a quality at-bat. And he said of the Panthers’ 37 at-bats, he considered 25 of them to be quality at-bats.
“More so than hits, that’s what we look at,” he explained. “They’re seeing lots of pitches, they’re advancing baserunners, they’re drawing walks and they’re getting on base.”
Once the Panthers did reach safely, they started stealing bases. Herman, Pena and Jasen Engel each swiped three bags in the contest, and the Panthers’ baserunning set them up for scores.
On the defensive end, Cordell Ridings started and went five innings on the mound, allowing seven hits, striking out seven, and although he hit two batters, he did not give up a base on balls.
Mathews finished on the bump for the Panthers, throwing one inning, giving up two hits and a run with one strike out. He also went without a walk.
The Panthers (1-5) will next host the Dove Creek Bulldogs (1-3) in a double-header on Saturday at McAndrew Field, beginning at 11 a.m.