The Alba-Golden Panthers recorded their first win of the 2022 campaign last Thursday in action at the Big Sandy tourney. The Panthers cashed in on a 1-hit pitching performance by Chaelton Cook to record a 3-0 win over the Winona Wildcats. 

On a perfect morning for baseball at the hilltop diamond of Big Sandy High School, Alba-Golden and Winona had a true pitching duel. The two hurlers – Alba-Golden’s Cook and Winona’s Jesse Jones – matched one another inning per inning. Despite their differing styles, each tallied 11 strike-outs with three free passes. Cook threw the complete seven innings while Jones threw a 2-hitter through six complete innings. 

The Panthers took a first inning one-run lead after two runners reached on dropped third strikes. The run scored on a fielder’s choice.

Each side was put down in order until the fourth inning, as the two pitchers dominated the action. They offered unique pitching techniques, with Cook’s delivery featuring a whole body, whip-like motion and James generating practically all his power from his arm.

The teams managed a handful of baserunners through the middle innings, but none crossed the plate.  Winona had two men on in the bottom of the fifth, but a double play in the same sequence which began with an Infield fly rule call got Alba-Golden out of the inning. 

Tyler Perez lined a single to right to lead-off the sixth. Gavin Dailey reached on an infield error, and Nick Hallman drove home Perez with an infield single.  Hallman came around to score later in the inning on a passed ball after a tremendous collision at home plate. The force of the collision caused Hallman to careen over the plate, but he scrambled back to tag home and register the run.

Two excellent defensive plays preserved the victory for the Panthers. In the bottom of the sixth, Hallman fielded a tough catch on a hard liner to centerfield and made a spot-on throw to double the runner trying to get back to second base. The play ended a Winona rally.

In the seventh, with one man on, Glen Hartley fielded a tough grounder at third but had to hurry the throw. A professional scoop of the throw at first base by Dailey ended the inning and put Alba-Golden’s win in the books.