The Alba-Golden Panthers have made some great strides thus far this season. The Panthers are playing strong, fundamental baseball, and the results are showing. 

Last Friday they took a double-header from the visiting Yantis Owls, 16-0, 15-0.

While the Yantis side was largely listless last Friday, the techniques of solid baseball demonstrated by the Panthers were notable.

Two examples were plate awareness and defending against the steal.

In the first inning, both Alba-Golden’s second and third hitters, Boogie Trimble and Mason Smith, saw that the Yantis third baseman was playing at least 10 feet behind third base. 

The adjustment was easy, and both hitters laid down bunts which went for infield base hits.  

Those decisions jump-started the Panthers offense which went on to put eight runs across in the first. 

The second example was the work of the Panther infield in gunning-down two steal attempts at second base. Defending against the steal is a whole infield effort. 

Although the Panthers only faced 11 Owl hitters in the three-inning, shortened game, they nabbed two at second with on-target throws from Brett Sutton behind the plate and a correctly-placed infield.

Alba-Golden hitters banged out 14 base hits in three innings. As a group they demonstrated excellent plate discipline and made solid contact with the ball. 

The play of the game came from left-fielder Tucker Samples. In the third, Samples was converging with center-fielder Cooper Christian and shortstop Boogie Trimble to try to get a sinking ball in short left-center field. It appeared that the hit would find the turf for a Texas Leaguer, when Samples accelerated and made a diving backhanded catch.

The Panthers host Como-Pickton on Friday in the last regularly-scheduled district game. The playoffs then await.