Panthers pull away to down the University of the South::Baseball :: LaGrange College

Panthers pull away to down the University of the South
April 16, 2008

SEWANEE, Tenn. – LaGrange took its second road game in as many days with an 11-3 victory over the University of the South (Sewanee) on Wednesday at Montgomery Field. The Panthers improved to 21-15, while the Tigers fell to 5-27.

The Panthers pounded out 16 hits off six Sewanee pitchers. Jose Navarro led the Panthers, going 4-for-5 that included a double. Navarro scored a run and drove in two more. Seth Tucker had three hits, while Corbin Clinage and Patrick Langley each had two hits. Langley, Brandon Mahoney and Michael Sims also had two RBIs.

Ben Hudson (3-2) went six innings on the mound to get the win. Hudson allowed three runs, only one earned, walked three and struck out two. Jeff Tucker pitched two scoreless innings of relief and J.J. Martone closed out the game with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Panthers jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two innings off Sewanee starter Greg Bartleski. Sims scored the game's first run on Langley's RBI single in the first inning. In the second, Navarro drove in Mahoney with his first hit of the game. Clinage also scored on the play when the ball was misplayed in the outfield.

Sewanee came back with two runs in the third inning and another in the fourth inning to tie the game. The Panthers took the lead for good with three runs in the sixth off reliever Steven Shepherd.

With one out, Lee Fite and Navarro had back-to-back singles. Sims followed with a double to right center to drive in Fite. Navarro scored off a wild pitch and Sims later scored on Tucker's hit through the left side to make it 6-3.

The Panthers continued to add to their lead over the next three innings to make it 11-3. Mahoney drove in two runs with sacrifice flies in the seventh and eighth innings. Navarro and Langley both had run-scoring singles in the innings. Tyson Sandlin had a pinch-hit double in the ninth and scored on Sims' ground out.

The Panthers host 10th-ranked Piedmont (27-8, 5-1 GSAC) in a three-game GSAC series beginning Friday at Cleaveland Field.