Panthers' season ends with loss to Huntingdon in GSAC tournament
April 25, 2009

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Huntingdon College pushed across three runs in the top of the ninth inning to edge LaGrange College 6-5 in the GSAC Baseball Championship Tournament on Saturday at Posey Field. The loss eliminated the Panthers from the tournament and ended their season with a 23-18 record.

The Panthers had avoided elimination earlier in the day with a dramatic 7-5 win over second-seeded Piedmont (19-20). Ben Hudson's two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth lifted the Panthers to the win. Hudson drove in four runs in the game and got the win on the mound in relief.

The Panthers had jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning of the game. The Panthers were aided Lion errors leading to three unearned runs. Tyson Sandlin's bunt single scored David Miller, who had reached on an error to start the inning, with the first run of the game.

Corbin Clinage came around to score on Trey Walker's base hit for the second run. Eric Heath's sacrifice bunt brought in Sandlin to make it 3-0. Hudson's RBI single scored Walker to up the lead to 4-0.

Piedmont chipped away at the Panthers' lead. The Lions got a run in each of the third, fifth and sixth innings off Panther starter Eric Medlock to make it 4-3.

The Panthers went up 5-3 in the seventh inning with a run.  Heath walked to start the inning. Hudson followed with a double down the left field line as Heath came all the way around to score.

The Lions got a run back in the eighth inning and tied the game in the ninth inning. Blake Albertson's two out pinch-hit single off Medlock tied the game at 5-5. Hudson walked the first man he faced after relieving Medlock. But he struck out Justin Voerherr to end the inning.

Heath led off the Panthers' half of the ninth inning with a single through the left side off Piedmont reliever Josh Strickland, who was working his third inning. Hudson ended the game by sending Strickland's first pitch to him over the right field fence for the 7-5 victory.

In the loss to Huntingdon, the Panthers took a 2-1 lead through three innings. Jordan Martinec had an RBI single in the first inning for a 1-0 lead. In the third, Heath came around to score as Martinec's fly ball was misplayed for an error.
Huntingdon scored two runs in the fifth inning off reliever Jonathan Love to take a 3-2 lead. The Panthers came back with two runs in their half of the fifth and another run in the sixth to go up 5-3.

Korey Ison had a lead-off triple in the fifth inning and scored on Miller's bunt single. Miller later scored on an error to put the Panthers up 4-3. In the sixth, Heath's one-out triple drove in Walker to make it 5-3.

The Hawks rallied in the ninth off Love and Trevor Tullock (3-4). Tullock relieved Love after back-to-back hits started the inning. Tullock surrendered an RBI double to Drew Harrell and the tying run scored off a wild pitch.

J. J. Martone relieved Tullock. Martone issued a walk and Brent Blackwell's bunt single scored Harrell with the go-ahead run. Martone, after another walk, got the final two outs of the inning.

Ison reached on an infield single with one out in the Panthers' half of the ninth inning. But reliever Sam Griffin (1-1) got Martinec to hit into a game-ending double play.