Box Score An eighth inning sacrifice fly pushed the LaGrange Panthers past the Maryville College Scots on the baseball diamond on Saturday afternoon on MC's Scotland Yard.
LaGrange got on the scoreboard first in the top of the third inning when Brandon Espinosa laced a double down the left field line. Following a sacrifice, Josh Shiver connected for an RBI single up the middle. The Panthers added a pair of unearned runs taking advantage of two MC miscues to finish the inning with a 3-0 advantage. Shiver tacked on another run in the fourth inning with a two-out RBI double to right center.
Trailing 4-0, Zack Blonder led off the fourth with a double. A Shawn Ambrose RBI single was followed by a three-run homerun by MC third baseman Jesse Crisp. In four plate appearances, the Scots tied the game 4-4.
The Scots took the lead in the bottom of the fifth when Landon Talley doubled off the left field wall and Zack Blonder drove him home with an opposite field single.
The Panthers tied the game in the seventh on an RBI single by Cody Muren scoring Brent Kinsey. MC senior reliever Taylor Denton came on to relieve starter Trevor Bracket and closed the door to preserve the 5-5 tie.
LaGrange broke the deadlock with a sacrifice fly off the bat of Kinsey in the eighth off reliever Nick Bowers.
The Panthers' Doug Scherer (6-2) earned the win with eight innings of quality work on the mound. He scattered 11 hits while allowing five earned runs. Tyler Brooks came on in the ninth to earn his fourth save to push the Panthers to 14-15 overall and 12-11 within the USA South.
Maryville's Trevor Brackett picked up another quality start with 6.1 innings of work, scattering 11 hits and allowing only three earned runs. Taylor Denton (0-1) picked up the loss in relief after surrendering a run on a pair of hits.
Offensively, MC's 11 hit attack was paced by Landon Talley and Zack Blonder who each had a pair of hits. Jesse Crisp's first collegiate homerun led Maryville with three RBI's.
The Scots fall to 15-19 overall and 10-13 within the USA South.
The series finale will conclude on Sunday with a first pitch slated for 2:00 p.m. MC will celebrate "Senior Day" honoring their five senior players before the first pitch.
