Emory outlasts Panthers for 11-8 win
March 25, 2008

Fifth-ranked Emory outlasted LaGrange 11-8 at Cleaveland Field on Tuesday. The loss ended the Panthers' (12-10) three-game winning streak. The Eagles, defeating the Panthers for the second time this season, improved to 16-6.

LaGrange left 15 runners on base in the game. The Panthers left the bases loaded in an inning and were 0-3 with the bases loaded. Emory left only seven runners on base in the game.

Both teams finished with 15 hits. Jesse Brown was 3-for-3 with three RBIs for the Panthers. Patrick Langley and Cory Matticola each had three hits. Dan Molnar scored four runs and was 4-for-4, while Joe Roth was 3-for-3 with four RBIs for Emory.

Jeff Tucker (3-3) took the loss for the Panthers. He allowed seven runs, four earned, in 4-2/3 innings. Tucker gave up seven hits, walked two and struck out four. Justin Phelps allowed three runs in 1-1/3 innings and Nick Vitale allowed two runs in an inning. Cody Belt and Ben Hudson each pitched a scoreless inning.

Paul Schwendel (4-0) went five innings to get the win for Emory. He gave up eight hits, five earned runs, walked six and struck out five.

The Eagles got a run in the top of the first inning for a 1-0 lead. The Panthers tied the game in their half of the first. Michael Sims led off with a single to start the inning. He later scored as Matticola hit into a double play.

Emory scored three runs in the third inning to take a 4-1 lead. The Panthers got a run back in the bottom of the inning. With two outs, Langley singled and stole second base. He had three stolen bases in the game and the Panthers finished with a season-high nine in the game. Matticola followed with a base through the left side to drive in Langley.

Trailing 6-3, the Panthers closed within a run in the fifth inning. Langley led off the inning with a single and later scored on Robbie Shelton's RBI single. Brown made it 6-5 with a two-run double to right center, driving in Matticola and Shelton.

The Eagles built their lead to 11-5 with three runs in the sixth inning and two more in the eighth. The Panthers got a run in the eighth as Brown was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. In the ninth, the Panthers got RBI base hits from Sims and Matticola for the 11-8 final margin.

The Panthers open GSAC play against Maryville on Saturday with a doubleheader. The three-game series at Cleaveland Field concludes with a single game on Sunday.