Panthers district champs

Posted 4/28/22

The Alba-Golden Panthers figuratively hoisted a district championship pennant last Friday by defeating the visiting Como-Pickton Eagles 7-2. The win made the Panthers the 2022 District 15-2A baseball champions. 

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Panthers district champs

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The Alba-Golden Panthers figuratively hoisted a district championship pennant last Friday by defeating the visiting Como-Pickton Eagles 7-2. The win made the Panthers the 2022 District 15-2A baseball champions. 

Como-Pickton also knew what was at stake, and they arrived ready to challenge the home side.

The Eagles aggressively ran the bases to open the game, with three steals in the top of the first. One of those steals forced a throwing error which the Eagles converted into their second run. Their initial score was collected on a clean RBI-single up the middle. 

Como-Pickton had put down a marker in the first: the Panthers would have to work hard for their pennant.

They did. Panther lead-off hitter Glen Hartley reached on a walk and promptly stole second base.  Advancing on a fielder’s choice, Hartley was caught in a pickle between third and home. After being chased back to third and forcing the throw back up the line, Hartley reversed direction and accelerated away from the pursuit down the line. The lunging third baseman was able to get a tag on Hartley’s foot, but the ball rolled out of his glove. Hartley raced across for the Panther’s opening run.  

Tyler Perez then sliced a RBI-single to right with the bases loaded. Michael Lacy followed with a shot down the third-base line which scored a run. Gavin Dailey also pushed a run across later in the inning with an infield hit. 

Como-Pickton walked home a run to give the home side a 5-2 advantage after one full inning. 

Alba-Golden’s starting ace Chaelton Cook really bore down after that first inning. He set the Eagles down in order in the second, fifth and sixth innings. 

When he had to work out of trouble, he did. In the third, the Eagles had put runners on second and third with one out. Cook managed to get the next Eagle batter to fly out and ended the inning with a swinging strike-out.

In the fourth, Cook came hard off the mound to field a difficult ground ball on the third base side. He gunned a throw for the out. Cook grew stronger as the game drew on, and his velocity, placement and pitch selection were too much for the Eagles.   

Cook also helped his cause with a stand-up double to the left-center gap in the second. He scored on a Perez Texas-leaguer to right for the Panther’s sixth run.

Alba-Golden added another run in the fourth. Easton Campbell hammered a line drive over the center-fielder’s head and cruised into third with a stand-up triple. He scored later in the inning when he beat a throw to the plate on a fielder’s choice. 

With a five run advantage, Cook handcuffed the Eagles for the remainder of the game. 

After refraining from too boisterous of a celebration until the end of the post-game handshake, the Panthers did let loose a bit upon returning to the dug-out. With a well-timed delivery, the young Panthers ambushed Coach Jimmy Oxford. He disappeared behind a waterfall of Gatorade. 

Early in the season the young Panther team had struggled. With a lot of grit and perseverance, the Panthers had put together a memorable season and earned their district pennant, game-by-game, pitch-by-pitch.