(June 16th, 2015) – As it turns out, slow and steady really does win the race.
This time, however, it wasn’t a tortoise and a hare, but Blackbirds and Panthers attempting to keep up with one another. Pettisville brought the full force of their offense down upon the Panther boys in the second inning, but Delta’s scattered scoring proved a more effective method.
The Blackbirds dropped the high scoring contest to Delta, 13-10.
It was the Panthers who were first to score, taking an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the opening inning. Yet, during their second turn in the batter’s box, Pettisville lit up the Delta defense for 10 runs to claim a large advantage in the early stages of the game.
In the bottom half of the second inning, Delta added 2 more runs to their total, starting the process of chipping away at the Blackbird lead. They would tack on another run in the third inning as well, with 2 more scored in each of the fourth and fifth innings. With four innings left to play, the Panthers had reduced their deficit to just a pair of runs, 10-8.
Delta would go on to score a combined 5 runs in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings. Pettisville, after exploding offensively in the top of the second, couldn’t get into a rhythm swinging the bat for the remainder of the game. A scoreless ninth inning sealed their fate, as the Blackbirds suffered a difficult 3 run road loss.
Sophomore-to-be Landon Roth had a strong day at the plate for Pettisville. Going 2 for 4 with his bat, Roth hit for a single and a double. Teammate Christian Barhite connected with the ball for just 1 hit. He made the most of it, though, using his speed to earn a triple.
Taking the loss on behalf of the Blackbirds was Evan King. Pitching for 5 innings, King allowed 3 earned runs from 5 hits. He also struck out 3 Panther batters, walking 3 more.