Varsity Games | PAC Baseball

Pac Panthers (13) vs. Calhoun Academy (2)

The Panthers got their first win of the season besting Calhoun Academy 13-2 after a less than stellar scrimmage last week against Augusta Christian. This may have been the second time the Panthers had been able to practice after that scrimmage due to all the rain we have had recently.

The Cavaliers from Calhoun Academy struck first; scoring two runs in the first inning after the both reached via walks. The first scored on a single by Fowler and the second on a single by Landon. The Panthers were quiet in the bottom of the inning.

Cameron Duke, the Panther starting pitcher, settled down in the second inning and made short work of the Cavaliers retiring the side on six pitches. The Panthers took control of the game by plating nine runs in the bottom of the frame. The Cavalier pitchers helped the Panthers along by walking nine batters and throwing numerous wild pitches. The Panthers only had one hit in the outburst, a infield single by Cameron Duke.

Cameron struck out the side in the top of the third inning and then the Panthers added to their lead by plating another four runs. Thomas Weaver led off the bottom of the frame by slapping a triple to right center field. Avery drove him in with a sacrifice fly to left field. The next six Panther batters then reached base; four via a walk or being hit by the pitch, one via an error and Landon Gay had a single to right field. This flurry of activity resulted in another three runs.

Ethan Hucks came on to pitch the top of the fourth, retiring three straight batters and then the game was called on account of dense fog rolling onto the field that made seeing the ball difficult.

Cameron Duke was the starting pitcher for PAC. He pitched three innings and was removed due to coach’s decision with a large lead so he was credited with the victory. He allowed two earned runs on two hits. He struck out five Cavalier batters and walked two. Ethan Hucks pitched one inning and struck out two.

Game Notes: The Panthers had five hits on the night (Micaiah Hinkle, Landon Gay (two singles), Duke and Weaver. Congratulations to Thomas Weaver as this was his first hit at the varsity level. The Panthers stole two bases against the Cavaliers (Gay and Seth Kirby). The nine runs that the Panthers plated in the second running was good for fifth all time. The record is sixteen runs in an inning and has been accomplished once (Versus Cross Roads Academy at the NACA Tournament in 2018).

Pac Panthers (3) vs. Cardinal Newman (2)

The Panthers won an exciting game against the Cardinal Newman Cardinals on Wednesday night at Bray Park. This was the first time we had played Cardinal Newman’s varsity team since 2016 and the first time we had beat them since 2015; coincidentally by the same score of 3-2. Panther alumni on that team were Anderson Blevins, Clay Dickinson, John Edens, Trevor Dacus, Carson Floyd and Pat Brunson.

The Cardinals took an early lead in the top of the first inning when the leadoff hitter drew a walk, stole second and scored on a single by Hocutt. Hocutt tried to stretch his hit into a double but Eshton Hinkle (playing left field) charged the ball and made a great throw to his cut-off man, Avery Blevins, who in turn relayed the ball to Chandler Yoder who applied the tag at second for the out. The Panthers answered the Cardinals score in their bottom of the first when Avery Blevins led off for the Panthers with an inside the park homerun that the center fielder misjudged and let get over his head.

The ball rolled to the deepest part of the park (375 feet in dead center field) and the race was on. The center fielder chased after the ball as Avery raced around the bases. The center fielder retrieved the ball and began the relay drill trying to get the ball back to the catcher before Avery arrived at home. The throw came to the cut-off man as Avery was reaching third but the ball was bobbled giving Avery the time he needed to score right before the ball arrived. Micaiah Hinkle followed with a hit of his own and advanced to second on a wild pitch. The Cardinal infielders told him it was a foul ball so Micaiah headed back to first and was caught in a rundown and tagged out. The entire team was told not to vacate a base unless the umpires instruct them to do so. This was not outside the rules but is considered poor sportsmanship. Connor Shealy and Cameron Duke also had hits in the first but could not score before the close of the inning.

The Cardinals went quietly in the top of the second. Thomas Weaver drew a walk but was stranded there on a great play by the Cardinal first baseman (Risinger) when he speared a line drive that Avery crushed down the right field line.

The Cardinals got one runner on in the top of the third, but he was gunned down by Connor Shealy when the runner tried to steal second. The Panthers took the lead in the bottom of the frame by plating two runs. Micaiah led off with a single and was sacrificed to second on a nice bunt by Landon Gay. Connor reached on an error but Micaiah was not able to advance on the play. Cameron Duke then singled to load the bases. Micaiah scored on a sacrifice fly by Seth Kirby and Ethan Hucks (running for Connor Shealy) scored on a double by Chandler Yoder. This made the score 3-1 Panthers after three innings.

The Cardinals went quietly in the fourth and fifth innings while an apparent Panther score was wiped off of the books by a coaching error when the Panthers used a courtesy runner who had recently been checked into the game making that player ineligible to serve as a courtesy runner. This error robbed Cameron Duke of an RBI on his third hit of the game. The game went into the sixth inning with the Panthers clinging to their 3-1 lead.

The Cardinals scored one run in the sixth inning. Their leadoff hitter singled but was eventually thrown out trying to steal third base. The second batter of the inning drew a walk and eventually scored on a double by Hocutt. Justin Thurber singled to begin the bottom of the sixth fort the Panthers and advanced to second on a nice bunt by Thomas. Two straight strikeouts stranded Justin at second.

The Cavaliers were now down to their last opportunity tie the game or take the lead. Their lead off batter smoked a line drive between Avery at shortstop and Ethan Hucks at third. Avery dove to his right spearing the ball in his glove, jumped to his feet and threw a dart to Zane Kirby at first base. Zane stretched out to receive the throw and the ball settled in his glove just before the Cardinal baserunner touched first base for the first out of the inning. The next two Cardinal batters struck out giving the Panthers their second victory of the season.

Landon Gay started on the mound for PAC, pitching one inning and giving up one earned run. Ethan Hucks earned the victory pitching two innings. He walked two and struck out three while not allowing a hit or run. Chandler Yoder was next and pitched three innings. He gave up one earned run on two hits while walking one Cardinal batter and striking out three. Josh Kull earned the save pitching the seventh inning and striking out two.

Game Notes: Avery’s inside the park home run was the third of his career, tying him for the Career lead in home runs. The Panthers outhit the Cardinals by a 9 to 2 margin. This was PAC’s first victory against the Cardinals since 2015. Chandler Yoder had three assists to lead the team with Ethan chipping in two with one being a very nice play moving to his left to field the ball and throwing a strike to first (Cameron almost did a split on this one to get the out at first). Cameron Duke had three hits and Micaiah Hinkle now as a ten game hitting streak stretching back to the 2020 season. This hitting streak is good for fourth place. The record is 13 and belongs to James Reed who accomplished this over the 2015 and 2016 season.

Pac Panthers (8) vs. Northside Crusaders (5)

The Panthers and the Crusaders played an exciting game last night when it took extra innings to decide the winner. This is the second consecutive game that has come down to the last inning against them as the Panthers defeated Northside last year, scoring the winning runs in the seventh inning.

The Panthers jumped out to an early three run lead in the top of the first inning. Avery Blevins led off with a single. He stole second base and advanced to third when Micaiah Hinkle reached on an error. Micaiah then stole second base to put two runners in scoring position for Cameron Duke. Cam responded with a single to right field driving in Avery. Micaiah scored and Cam advanced to third on a double by Landon Gay. Cam scored on a wild pitch to close out the scoring for the Panthers in the top of the first. The Crusaders stormed to the lead in the bottom of the first with a lot of help from the Panthers. The scored four runs without the benefit of a hit as Panther pitching walked or hit four batters and the Panthers committed one error in the field.

The Panthers tied the game up in the top of the fourth inning. Seth Kirby was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a single by Chandler Yoder. Josh Kull laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance them to second and third. Eshton Hinkle then hit a sacrifice fly to right center field to score Seth and tie the game.

Northside took a one run lead in the bottom of the sixth inning when the leadoff batter was walked and sacrificed to second. A single by the Crusader right fielder (Williamson) scored that run and the Panthers were down to their final opportunity to win or tie the game forcing extra innings.

Avery reached second on an error with one out as the second baseman fielded his grounder cleanly but overthrew first base. He advanced to third on a groundout by Micaiah and scored on a wild pitch to tie the game. The Panthers could not take the lead and now had to keep the Crusaders from scoring in the bottom of the frame to force extra innings. The first Crusader batter popped up to Avery at short. The second (Micah Connor) hit a bullet to the right center field fence but was thrown out when he tried to stretch the hit into a triple. Eshton Hinkle chased the ball down at the fence and threw to Chandler Yoder who relayed it to Avery who threw a dart to third with Justin Thurber tagging the runner out on a bang bang play. The third Crusader hitter struck out moving the game into extra innings.

Neither team really threatened in the eight inning so the game moved into the ninth. Thomas Weaver and Avery received back to back walks and both advanced one base on a wild pitch. Micaiah was up to bat and slapped a double to left center field on a 2-2 count scoring both Thomas and Avery. Micaiah moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on an error. The Panthers were finally retired but now the Crusaders faced a three run deficit in the bottom of the ninth inning. The first batter flew out to Eshton Hinkle in right field and the next two were retired via strikeouts to end the game.

Ethan Hucks was the starter for the Panthers but did not make it out of the first inning as he struggled to adjust to Northside’s mound. He allowed four runs, two of which were earned. He did not allow a hit but walked or hit by pitch four Crusader batters. Landon Gay relieved Ethan in the bottom of the first and pitched through the fifth inning. He struck out four and did not allow any hits. Josh Kull earned the victory in relief, pitching the final four innings. He allowed one earned run on three hits while striking out six Crusader batters and walking two.

The Panthers had seven hits in the victory with Avery and Chandler leading the way with two singles. Landon and Micaiah both doubled and Cameron had the other hit for PAC. Micaiah had two big RBI’s on his double in the ninth inning.

Game Notes: The Panthers improved to 3-0 for the second year in a row. This is the fifth time a Panther varsity team has started out 3-0 (2012, 2014, 2018 and 2020). The record for wins to start a season was accomplished by the 2018 team who started the season 4-0. The Panthers had thirteen assists with Chandler leading the way with four (this is good for third in the record book, tying him with many PAC players). Cameron Duke threw out two base runners from his catcher’s position. Micaiah Hinkle used the extra innings to extend his hitting streak to eleven games which is third all time. James Reed has the record at thirteen games. The Panthers stole seven bases which is tied for second all time. The record is nine and has been accomplished three times. Avery and Joey Christensen both had two.

Pac Panthers (4) vs. Northside Crusaders (2)

The Panthers and Crusaders met on the diamond at Bray Park just days after they played at Northside in a thrilling nine inning win for the Panthers. Just like last time, the Panthers had to come from behind for the victory, and just like last time, they Panthers did walk away victorious.

The Crusaders took a two-run lead in the top of the first inning. Their leadoff hitter singled and with one out, the third batter was hit by a pitch. The Crusader clean up hitter singled to score their first run. A Panther error allowed the second run of the inning to score and the Crusaders would have had more but the Panthers picked off one of their runners at third for the second out of the inning. A flyout ended the Crusader top of the first. The Panthers were retired in order in the bottom of the first.

The game settled into a pitcher’s dual until the fourth inning when the Panthers finally broke through and scored four runs to take the lead. Cameron Duke led off the bottom of the fourth and was hit by a pitch. Landon Gay singled with one out to advance Cameron to second. Eshton Hinkle hit into a fielder’s choice which saw Cameron retired at third leaving runners on first and second. Seth Kirby was hit by a pitch to load the bases and then Chandler Yoder drew a walk to score the first run of the inning. Justin Thurber then batted with the bases still loaded and slapped a bases clearing triple into the right field corner. The Panthers led 4-2 after four innings.

The Crusaders had their best chance to get back into the game in the top of the fifth inning. After two quick outs, the Crusaders loaded the bases on two singles and a Panther error. The next Crusader batter grounded out to the Panther pitcher (Cameron Duke) to end the threat. The Panthers were retired in order in the bottom of the frame to close out the fifth.

Cameron Duke, the starting pitcher for Duke, kept getting stronger as the game went along. He retired the Crusaders in order in the sixth and seventh innings to draw the game to a close. Cameron scattered six hits over seven innings, allowing the two runs in the top of the first, only one of which was earned. He struck out two Crusader batters and hit one batter but did not walk a single Crusader. Cameron is now 2-0 on the year after picking up this victory.

The Panthers only had three hits on the night. Avery Blevins and Landon Gay both singled and Justin had the huge bases clearing triple. Panther batters struck out nine times in the game.

Game Notes: The Panthers improve to 4-0 on the season. This ties the record for season opening wins set by the 2018 team. Micaiah Hinkle had his eleven-game hitting streak ended (tied for third all time). Cameron Duke pitched a complete game for the first time this year.

Pac Panthers (6) vs. Augusta Eagles (2)

The varsity PAC Panther baseball team travelled to Augusta, Georgia for a double header against the Augusta Eagles. This is the first time these two homeschool programs have met on the diamond at the varsity level.

The Panthers arrived in Augusta around 9:45 and got ready to do battle in a colder than forecasted overcast day. The first game started at 11:00, and as the visitors, the Panthers were up to bat first. After a groundout to the Augusta shortstop, Micaiah Hinkle received a base on balls. He stole second base and scored on a hit to right field by Cameron Duke. The Eagles retired the Panthers without any further damage and the Panthers got out of the bottom of the first without allowing a score; though the Eagles stranded two runners on base.

The Panthers got one runner on in the top of the second (single by Justin Thurber) but Justin was stranded at second as the top of the second inning ended. The Eagles did not threaten in the bottom of the frame.

Avery Blevins led off the top of the third with a long drive to dead center field that hit about two feet below the top of the fence. He only made it to first as he stumbled rounding first and missed the bag, so he had to retreat back to first to touch the bag and the ball was on its way back to the infield, so he had to remain at first. He advanced to second on a single by Micaiah and then both runners moved up a base with a double steal. Avery scored and Micaiah advanced to third on a single by Landon Gay. Landon made his way to second base but was thrown out at third on an attempted steal. Chandler York then reached on an error and scored all the way from first on a double by Justin Thurber. The Eagles finally retired the Panthers had increased their lead to 4-0. The Eagles got one run back in the bottom of the third when their leadoff hitter got all the way to second when an infielder’s throw got over the first baseman’s head. The Eagle runner advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a ground out to second base.

The Panthers struck again in the top of the fifth when Eshton Hinkle doubled with one out. He took third on a wild pitch and got to keep going to home when the pitch hit something and bounced out of play. The Eagles stranded one runner in the bottom of the inning.

Neither team scored in the Sixth inning, so the Panthers came to bat in the seventh with a four-run lead. Avery led off the last inning with a double to right field and scored on a single by Cameron. The Eagles now trailed 6-1 and were down to their final at bat. They managed to scratch for one run thanks to two Panther fielding errors but the game ended on a pop up to Avery at short.

The Panthers had eleven hits in the game and fourteen total bases. Avery led the way three hits one of which was a double. He also scored two runs. Justin and Cameron both had two hits with one of Justin’s hits being a double to right field. Cameron had two RBI’s in the game. Others with hits included Eshton Hinkle, Landon Gay, Micaiah and Chandler. Micaiah also scored two runs.

Landon Gay was the starting pitcher for the Panthers. He pitched two innings without allowing any runs. He allowed one hit, walked two Eagle batters and struck out three. Chandler followed Landon to the mound and pitched four innings. He allowed one unearned run on three hits while walking one Eagle batter and striking out three. Justin Thurber came on to finish the game in the seventh and allowed on unearned run on one hit. Chandler was credited with the victory and is now 1-0 on the season.

Game Notes: As stated previously, this the first time the Panthers and Augusta Eagles have played at the varsity level. This victory improved the Panthers to 5-0 for the first time in program history. The Panthers had ten assists in the game and were led by Avery with five which is good for second place all time. Avery has accomplished this twice. The team stole five bases with Micaiah leading the way with two. The Panthers committed four errors and turned one double play. Thomas Weaver’s defensive play at first has been stellar as he turned himself into a human pretzel several times receiving the ball at first base to get the out.

Pac Panthers (10) vs. Augusta Eagles (2)

The second game of the double header began about twenty minutes after the first game ended. The Panthers batted first again but were held without any runs. The Eagles jumped into the lead in the bottom of the frame when they scored one run on back to back doubles.

The Panthers went quietly in the top of the second and the Eagles threatened more damage in the bottom of the frame, but base running errors cost them the opportunity. Neither team threatened in the third inning, so the Panthers went to bat in the top of the fourth inning still trailing 1-0.

The Panthers got off to a great start when the first three batters of the inning were either walked or hit by a pitch. Thomas Weaver came to bat with the bases loaded and hit a sacrifice fly to right field scoring Chandler Yoder and moving Justin Thurber to third. The runner at first, Ethan Hucks stole second base without drawing a throw. Eshton Hinkle drew a walk to reload the bases and Avery Blevins singled to center field scoring the second run of the inning (Thurber) and keeping the bases loaded. Ethan and Eshton both scored on a second consecutive single, this one by Micaiah Hinkle. Avery scored on a single by Cameron Duke, the Panther third straight hit. Micaiah took third on Cameron’s hit. Joey Christenson came in as a courtesy runner for Cameron and attempted to steal second base but was thrown out; however, Micaiah was able to score from third on the play giving the Panthers a 6-1 lead. The Eagles were unable to answer the Panther’s scoring outburst in the bottom of the frame.

The Panthers threatened in the top of the fifth inning, but the Eagles turned a double play to help thwart the Panthers efforts. The Eagles got one runner on in the bottom of the frame but were unable to score them, so the game moved into the sixth inning with the same 6-1 score.

The Panthers scored one in the top of the sixth to increase their advantage one the scoreboard. Micaiah led off with a single and moved to third on a single to right field by Cameron. Joey again ran for Cameron, and again, attempted to steal second base but was thrown out, but again, this allowed Micaiah to score on the play making the score 7-1 Panthers. The Eagles made it 7-2 in the bottom of the sixth on the strength of a solo home run by the Eagle Centerfielder (C Johnson).

The Panthers added to their already large lead in the top of the seventh inning by scoring another three runs. Ethan Hucks walked to lead off the inning and after a strikeout, Eshton Hinkle drew a walk to advance Ethan to second. Avery blasted a double to right field to score both Ethan and Eshton. Landon hit the second double of the inning to left center, scoring Avery to close out the Panther scoring. The Eagles were retired in order in the bottom of the seventh to give the Panther’s second victory of the day and sixth straight victory to begin the season.

Ethan Hucks pitched a complete game in earning his second victory of the year. The Eagles got six hits off of Ethan, but four of the hits were in the first two innings and they only managed to score one run on those hits. Ethan only walked one Eagle batter while striking out six.

The Panthers outhit the Eagles by a 9-6 margin. Cameron, Micaiah, Avery and Landon all had two hits. Landon and Avery had one double each. Micaiah, Avery and Landon all had two RBI’s and Avery and Micaiah both scored two runs. Seth Kirby also scored two runs as a courtesy runner.

Game Notes: The Panthers improved to 6-0 on the season for the first time. This will be sorely tested over the next week as the Panthers have five games in six days. The Panthers had five stolen bases with Micaiah leading the way with three. The Panthers had nine assists with Chandler getting four. Avery make several acrobatic catches at short on line drives to help keep the Eagles from getting back into the game.

Pac Panthers (4) vs. Richard Winn (0)

The Panthers improved to 7-0 behind a strong pitching performance by Cameron Duke and Landon Gay. The Eagles had four batters or less in five of the seven innings played. Cameron improved his record to 3-0 while limiting the Eagles from Richard Winn to one hit over four innings. He struck out four Eagles and walked two. Landon came on to pitch the final three innings, breezing through the first two innings before having control issues in the seventh. Landon retired the first batter in that inning on a fly ball to center field but then walked three straight batters to load the bases before regaining his control and striking out the final two batters. Landon did not allow a hit, walked three batters and struck out five.

The Panthers took control of the game in the second inning and then played good defense behind Cameron and Landon to keep the Eagles from making the game closer than it was. Chandler Yoder led off the second with a single to left field. Chandler stole second base and advanced to third on a single by Thomas Weaver. Thomas was thrown out at second trying to stretch his hit into a double for the second out of the inning. Josh Kull hit a long fly ball to left center field that the Eagle center fielder made a long run to get to, but the ball bounced off of his glove for a two-base error with Chandler scoring on the play. Avery Blevins came up and smoked a double to left center field to score Josh. Micaiah reached on an error which also advanced Avery to third. Cameron Duke then singled to drive in both Avery and Micaiah to complete the scoring for the night.

The Panthers had ten hits on the night with Chandler leading the way with three. Avery (single and double) and Thomas Weaver (two singles) both had two hits. Others with hits include Connor Shealy, Justin Thurber and Cameron. Avery had one RBI and Cameron had two.

Game Notes: This is the seventh win in a row for the Panthers. The record is nine games in a row and has been accomplished three times. The team had only one stolen base (Yoder). The Panthers had nine assists in the game, led by Avery with three.

Pac Panthers (10) vs. Healthwood Hall (2)

The Panthers continued their hot start to the 2021 baseball season by besting Heathwood Hall 10-2 on Wednesday night on Heathwood’s home field. This victory adds to their best ever start and improves their record to 8-0.

The Panthers went quietly in the top half of the first and Heathwood jumped out to an early lead when they plated one run on three hits. Neither team scored in the second inning, so the game moved to the third with the Panthers trailing 0-1.

Avery Blevins singled with one out and then stole second base. He advanced to third on a single by Micaiah Hinkle and Micaiah stole second base to put two runners in scoring position for Cameron Duke. Cameron came through with the Panther’s third consecutive hit with both Avery and Micaiah scoring on the play. Braydon Shealy served as a courtesy runner for Cameron and advanced to second on a Heathwood error and then to third on a wild pitch. Braydon scored on a single by Landon Gay for the third run of the inning. Josh Kull was then hit by a pitch to advance Landon to second. Chandler Yoder singled to load the bases and Landon scored the final run of the inning when Seth Kirby hit a sacrifice fly to right field. The Highlanders got one of those runs back in the bottom of the frame on two hits and a sacrifice fly. The game moved to the fourth inning with the Panthers leading 4-2.

Neither team scored in the fourth or fifth inning, so the teams moved into the sixth inning with the Panthers still leading by two. Thomas Weaver led off with a single and Anderson scored him all the way from first on a double to left field. Micaiah hit a sacrifice fly to center field scoring Avery and making the score 6-2. Cameron Duke was walked and advanced to third on an error allowing Landon to reach base safely. Cameron and Landon both scored on Highlander errors before Heathwood secured the last two outs of the inning. The Highlanders threatened in the bottom of the frame when Josh Kull walked the bases loaded but Josh finally found the strike zone and struck out three straight batters.

The game moved into the seventh inning with the Panthers leading comfortably by an 8-2 score. Avery scored on a single by Cameron and Micaiah scored on a single by Landon to close out the scoring for the Panthers. The Highlanders were unable to score in the bottom of the seventh and the Panthers had secured another victory.

Justin Thurber (1-0) was the starting pitcher for PAC and was awarded the victory. He pitched three innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs. He was followed to the mound by Zane Kirby who pitched one and one-third innings. This was Zane’s first appearance on the mound this year and he gave up one hit, walked one Highlander and had two strikeouts. Josh Kull was the third Panther pitcher and he pitched one and two-thirds innings. He did not allow a hit and struck out four batters while walking three. Connor Shealy pitched the final inning allowing two hits and striking out two batters.

Four Panther batters had multiple hits for the game. Avery led the way with three, ending a homerun short of the cycle as he had a single, double and triple. He had one RBI and scored three runs. Cameron, Landon and Chandler all had two singles. Cameron had three RBI’s and Landon had two. Landon and Micaiah both scored two runs. Micaiah and Thomas had the other hits for PAC.

Game Notes: As stated before, this is the Panther’s eighth straight victory. This extends their record of opening season wins and is now only one short of the – all-time record for consecutive victories (9 – accomplished three times). The Panthers had six stolen bases and were led by Avery and Micaiah who both had two. The Panthers had nine assists and were led by Avery who had four. The Panthers look to continue their hot streak at Bray Park on Thursday night as the face the Augusta Christian Lions.

Pac Panthers (1) vs. Augusta Christian (9)

The Panthers eight game winning streak came crashing to a halt on Thursday night at Bray Park as the visiting Augusta Christian Lions slammed three home runs to defeat the Panthers by a 9-1 score. The Lions got busy right away as they scored three runs in the top of the first inning with a single and then back to back home runs (Zerbel and Bowen). They scored another run in the top of the third inning when the Lion first baseman (Bradford) slammed a triple and then scored on a wild pitch.

The Lions scored another four runs in the fifth inning on two walks, a batter that reached safely on a dropped third strike and one single. The first run scored on the dropped third strike as the ball was mishandled by the Panthers on the throw down to first. The second and third runs scored on a single and the last run of the inning scored on a wild pitch.

The Lions scored their last run of the game in the seventh when Zerbel hit his second homerun of the game. The Panthers tried to put together a rally, but Cameron Duke was thrown out trying to stretch his double into a triple and the game ended on a fly out to left field.

The Panthers six hits in the game, led by Cameron Duke and Chandler Yoder who both had two. Thomas Weaver and Justin Thurber both singled with Thomas picking up the lone Panther RBI.

Ethan Hucks started on the mound for the Panthers. He pitched two and one-third innings allowing four earned runs on four hits. He struck out three and walked one. Ethan was followed to the mound by Josh Kull who pitched two innings. He allowed three earned runs and struck out three Lion batters and walked three. Landon Gay was the third Panther pitcher of the day and pitched two-thirds of an inning allowing one earned run. Chandler Yoder was the last Panther hurler for the night, pitching two innings and allowing one earned run on two hits.

Game Notes: This loss ended the Panthers record breaking eight game win streak to begin a season and was within one game of tying the all-time record for consecutive victories of nine. The Panthers had fourteen assists with Avery leading the way with four. Chandler and Cameron both had three. The Panthers record is now 8-1 and face the Greenville Hurricanes on Saturday in a Bray Park doubleheader.

Pac Panthers (15) vs. Greenville Hurricanes (5)

The PAC Panthers returned to their winning ways by sweeping the Greenville Hurricanes on a beautiful Spring day at Bray Park. Landon Gay started on the hill for the Panthers and allowed one hit but nothing more in the top of the first. The Panthers zoomed to the lead by scoring two runs in the bottom of the frame. Avery led off and lined out to center field and then the Panthers got to work. Chandler Yoder singled to left field and Landon Gay drew a walk. Chandler scored on a wild pitch and Landon scored on a sacrifice fly to center field by Micaiah Hinkle.

The game moved into the second inning and Greenville jumped out to the lead when Panther pitching walked four Hurricane batters, allowed one hit and Panther fielders committed one error in the field. This was exactly the type of inning the Panthers have worked so hard to stay out of this year and have been successful for the most part. It reminds us of the importance of playing the game the right way and a large part of playing the game the right way is to throw strikes. The Panthers got two of those runs back in the bottom of the second when Ethan Hucks and Seth Kirby both singled and scored on a triple by Avery.

The Panthers took the lead for good in the bottom of the third after holding Greenville scoreless in the top half. Connor led off with a double to left field and Nolan Cochran came into the game to run for Connor (courtesy runner for Connor who was catching). Nolan moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on an infield single by Micaiah. Justin Thurber was hit by a pitch advancing Micaiah to second. Eshton Hinkle hit into a fielder’s choice, advancing Micaiah to third but forcing Justin at second base. Micaiah scored on an error by the Hurricane third baseman which also allowed Eshton to advance to second. Seth Kirby was hit by a pitch and Avery singled to right field scoring Eshton and moving Seth to third base. Seth scored on a wild pitch to close out the scoring in the Panther’s third and the Panthers now led 8-5 after three full innings.

Both teams were scoreless in the fourth inning and the Hurricanes threatened in the fifth but did not score. This gave the Panthers the opportunity to close out the game in the bottom of the fifth by scoring seven runs. Justin singled but was forced out at second on a fielder’s choice by Eshton. Ethan Hucks popped out for the second out of the inning but then the wheels fell off for the Hurricanes. Eshton stole second base and Seth received a free base on balls. Avery doubled to score both Eshton and Seth. Avery advanced to third on the throw back into the infield. Chandler walked and then stole second. Avery scored on a wild pitch that also moved Chandler over to third. Landon drew a walk. Chandler scored on a wild pitch that also moved Landon to second. Connor received the third walk in a row from Hurricane’s pitchers. Nolan came into run for Connor once again and Landon and Nolan both advanced one base on a wild pitch. Micaiah drove a fly ball into left center field that was dropped by the Hurricane center fielder allowing Landon and Nolan to score. Micaiah advanced to second on that play and stole third base. Eshton reached on an error which also allowed Micaiah to score thus ending the game due to the ten-run rule.

Landon was the starting pitcher for PAC. He pitched one and two-thirds innings allowing five runs, only one of which was earned. He allowed two hits and walked four Hurricane batters while striking out two. Zane Kirby followed Landon to the mound and pitched the final three and one-third innings. He did not allow a run and struck out five Hurricane batters in securing the victory.

The Panthers had nine hits in the victory and were led by Avery who had three. He singled, doubled and tripled, drove in five runs and scored one run. Others with hits include Chandler, Connor, Micaiah, Justin, Ethan and Seth. Seth scored three runs and Micaiah had two RBI’s.

Game Notes: The Panthers improved their record to 9-1. Avery’s five RBI’s tied him for second all time in the Panther record book. He has accomplished this twice (Cameron Duke has the record of six RBI’s accomplished against the FCA Flames at NACA in 2019. The Panthers stole six bases, good for third in the record book. Chandler had two. The Panthers have accomplished this six times, and interesting enough, half of those times have been against Greenville. The Panthers had six assists in the game with Landon and Chandler both having two.

Pac Panthers (3) vs. Greenville Hurricanes (0)

The Panthers improved their record to 10-1, bringing a busy five game week to an end for the Panthers. This was the second game of a double header against the Hurricanes and the big story out of this game was that Ethan Hucks pitched a no- hitter. He pitched a complete game gem striking out eleven Hurricane batters while walking three.

The Panther batters did not exactly set the world on fire on getting three hits, but they did enough to score three runs and win the game. They scored two runs in the bottom of the second when Seth Kirby reached on an error and scored on a triple by Avery Blevins. Avery later scored on a single by Micaiah Hinkle. They added their third run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Justin Thurber reached on an error, made his way around the bases, eventually scoring on a passed ball.

Avery, Micaiah and Cameron had the hits for the Panthers with Micaiah and Avery having RBI’s.

Game Notes: This is the fourth no hitter in Panther history. Ethan’s brother Cal also pitched a no hitter for the Panthers against Hope Academy in 2015. The Panthers had four stolen bases with Justin Thurber having two. The Panthers had six assists with Avery and Ethan both having two.

Pac Panthers (2) vs. Laurence Manning (12)

The Panthers took their second loss of the season in losing to Laurence Manning on Wednesday night by a score of 2-12. The Swampcats scored seven runs in the second inning to put the game away. They had four hits and accepted three walks from Panther pitching in the rally. They added one run in the third and one in the fourth and ended the game in the fifth with a three-run homerun.

The Panthers scored single runs in the third and fourth innings. Eshton Hinkle scored the first run after getting hit by a pitch when he scored on a fielder’s choice. Landon Gay scored the second run on a single by Micaiah Hinkle.

The Panthers only had three hits in the game. They were all singles and were knocked by Landon Gay, Justin Thurber and Eshton Hinkle. The Panthers had four assists in the game and turned one double play.

Justin Thurber was the starting pitcher for PAC. He pitched one and two-thirds innings, allowing six earned runs in taking the loss and evening his record at 1-1 He gave up three hits and walked or hit three Swampcat batters. He was followed to the mound by Josh Kull who pitched three innings. He allowed five runs (three earned) on four hits. He struck out two Swampcats but walked four. Landon Gay finished the game on the mound allowing one earned run.

Game Notes: The Panthers play again on Saturday in a double header against the Low Country Wildcats in Summerville.

Pac Panthers (25) vs. Low Country (6)

The Panthers travelled to Charleston to do battle in a double header with the Low Country Wildcats on a day that was colder than expected. This was the place that PAC baseball had played their last games in the 2020 season before the season was lost to the Covid panic. The 2021 double header set all kinds of record, more on that in the game notes, but it started out very ominously for the Panthers.

The Panthers were retired in order in the top of the first inning and the Wildcats came to bat looking to make a statement. After one quick out, the Wildcats exploded for five runs. They hit a two-run home run, a double, two singles and the Panthers walked a batter and allowed one to reach via error, so before the Panthers could rub the sleep out of their eyes, they were trailing by five runs. The good news was that the Wildcats were basically done scoring and the Panthers had not yet begun to fight.

The Panthers responded in the top of the second inning by scoring seven runs. They had six hits in the rally and the Wildcats helped the Panthers along by committing several errors. Cameron Duke had two hits in the inning. The Panthers scored another four runs in the top of the third inning on three hits. Chandler Yoder had a double in the rally. Wildcat pitching hit two Panther batters in the inning.

The Panthers continued their scoring binge in the top of the fourth inning by plating another five runs. Landon Gay led off the inning with a solo shot; his first varsity home run. Avery Blevins doubled in two more runs and Micaiah Hinkle drove in Avery with a single. One run had scored earlier in the inning on an infield hit. The fourth inning ended with a 16-5 Panther lead.

The Panthers ended the game in the fifth inning by plating another nine runs. The Panthers only had six hits in the rally but two of them were big blows. Landon hit his second home run of the game and Avery hit a grand slam. Ethan Hucks had two hits in the inning. The Wildcats added one run in the bottom of the fifth, but it was not enough to keep the game going.

The Panthers pounded out nineteen hits in the game and had nineteen RBI’s. Four Panthers had three hits: Avery with a single, double and a homerun; Cameron with three singles; Landon with two home runs and a single; and Thomas Weaver with three singles. Josh Kull and Ethan Hucks both had two singles. Others with hits include Chandler Yoder (double), Micaiah Hinkle and Zane Kirby. Avery had seven RBI’s and Landon and Chandler both had two. Eight other Panther players had one RBI. Avery and Landon both scored four runs and Eshton Hinkle and Thomas both scored three.

Landon was the starting pitcher for the Panthers picked up his first win of the year. He pitched two and one-third innings, allowing five runs (two earned) on five hits. He walked three and struck out six Wildcats. He was replaced on the mound by Josh Kull who pitched two and two-third innings. Josh allowed one run (unearned) and struck out four batters while walking one. He did not allow any hits.

Game Notes: The victory over the Low Country Wildcats improved the Panther’s record to 11-2. This game set several new Panther records. The Panthers scored twenty-five runs in the game. The previous record was twenty-two runs and had been accomplished twice. Landon and Avery both scored four runs which ties for second in the record book (the record is five and has been accomplished twice both times by Alex Blevins). The Panthers hit for thirty total bases in the game passing the previous record of twenty-five which had been accomplished in 2016). Landon tied the individual total base record of nine (James Reed – 2016) and Avery tied the third-place record for total bases in a game by collecting seven. Landon hit two home runs in one game (his first varsity home runs). This is the first time a Panther has hit more than one home run in a game. Avery hit the first grand slam in Panther history. Avery also now owns the team record for home runs over a career as this was his fourth. Avery also drove in seven runs eclipsing the previous record of six (Cameron Duke – 2019). The team collected nineteen RBI’s which is second in program history (the 2018 team collected twenty versus Cross Roads). The team also collected nineteen hits which ties the record for most in a game (first set in 2013 versus Heathwood). The nine runs scored in the fifth inning tied the fourth-place record of runs in an inning (the record is sixteen – versus Cross Roads in 2018). Zane Kirby recorded his first varsity hit and Micaiah Hinkle made a nice running catch in left center to close out the game.

Pac Panthers (6) vs. Low Country (0)

This game was much closer than the first as the Panthers only led 3-0 heading into the last inning (Both teams agreed that the first game of the double header would be seven innings while the second game would be only five). Avery Blevins led off the top of the first with a double and scored on a single by Chandler Yoder. Chandler stole second base, advanced to third on a ground out and scored on a wild pitch.

Both teams were quiet until the fourth inning when Justin Thurber reached on a fielder’s choice and then scored on a double by Eshton Hinkle.

The Panthers added a few insurance runs in the top of the last inning (5th). Avery reached on a bunt single, advanced to second on a ground out and stole third base. He scored on a clutch Landon Gay single with two outs. Cameron Duke singled to advance Landon to third with Cameron taking second on the throw to third. Both runners scored Josh Kull hit a third consecutive single.

Panther pitching did the rest of the work. Ethan Hucks started on the mound and pitched three innings. He did not allow a hit and struck out six Wildcat batters while walking three. Zane Kirby pitched the final two innings and kept the Wildcats off of the board. He allowed one hit, struck out four Wildcat batters and walked three.

The Panthers had eight hits in this game and were led by Avery, who had a double and a single. Others with hits were Chandler, Cameron, Landon, Josh, Eshton and Ethan Hucks. Josh Kull had two RBI’s and Avery scored two runs.

Game Notes: The victory improved the Panthers 2021 record to 12-2. The Panthers are 20-1 against the Low Country Wildcats all time. This is the Panther’s third shutout of the 2021 season. The Panthers take to the diamond again versus the Anderson Cavaliers on Tuesday night at Bray Park.

Pac Panthers (2) vs. Anderson Cavaliers (0)

The Panthers grinded out their thirteenth victory of the year with a 2-0 victory over the Anderson Cavaliers at Bray Park on Tuesday night. The Cavaliers outhit the Panthers by a six to three margin, but they made two errors while the Panthers played error free baseball. The game was certainly not stress free; however, as the Cavaliers put pressure on the Panthers all night long.

The Cavaliers got a runner to third in the top of the first inning with only one out but could not score him. Their clean up hitter (Fields) hit a shallow fly ball to Micaiah Hinkle in centerfield which Micaiah caught and then threw a bullet to Connor Shealy at home so Connor could tag out the Cavalier runner who had tried to tag and score on the play. He was out by two to three steps and this was the best chance the Cavaliers had to score until the seventh inning. The Panthers came to bat in the bottom of the first and managed to claw for one run. Avery Blevins led off with a single, stole second base and scored on an error by the Cavalier second baseman.

Neither team really threatened to score again until the sixth inning. The Cavaliers did not really threaten to score because they kept trying to steal against Connor Shealy and Connor kept throwing them out. Two innings ended with Connor throwing out Cavalier runners.

In the sixth, the Cavaliers got a runner to third, but a strikeout ended the inning. The Panthers clawed for one more run in the bottom of the inning to put a lot of pressure on the Cavaliers heading into the final inning. Ethan Hucks reached on an error and advanced to second on a wild pitch. He advanced to third on a ground out and scored on an infield hit by Micaiah. The Panthers led 2-0 after six innings.

The Cavaliers came to bat in the top of the seventh needing two runs to tie the game and it started off well for them. The first three batters reached base to load the bases. They got two hits and a walk to accomplish this. Josh Kull, the Panther pitcher of record, settled down, however, and struck out the next three Cavalier batters to end the game and earn the save.

Cameron Duke was the starting pitcher for PAC and he pitched five innings without allowing any runs. He gave up three hits, walked two and struck out one Cavalier batter. The victory improves his record to 4-0. Josh pitched the final two innings without allowing any runs. He gave up three hits, walked two and struck out four.

The Panthers only had three hits. Avery, Micaiah and Justin Thurber all singled. The Panther batters struggled against the Cavalier pitcher who had a good curve ball and against an inconsistent strike zone all night. Micaiah had the lone RBI on the night.

Game Notes: The victory improves the varsity team’s record to 13-2. This game was a well-played game that ended after an hour and forty minutes (very quickly for a seven-inning game). The Panthers had ten assists (Blevins, Shealy, Thurber and Duke all had two). This was the Panther’s fourth shutout of the year.

Pac Panthers (8) vs. Coastal Hurricanes (7)

The Panthers travelled to Savannah to take on the Coastal Hurricanes in a conference double header this past Saturday. The first game started at high noon, and as the visitors, the Panthers were at the plate first. Chandler Yoder walked with one out and advanced to second on a single by Cameron Duke and eventually scored on an error. Coastal tied the game back up in their half of the frame when their shortstop (McKee) hit a solo homerun to right field.

The Game entered the third inning still tied at one, but the Panthers exploded for five runs to take control of the game. The Panthers put together a string of five straight hits and six total hits in the inning to score the runs. Ethan Hucks led off with a single and was advanced to second on a single by Avery Blevins. Chandler, Cameron and Landon Gay all singled as well with Cameron and Landon both driving in one run each. Micaiah reached on a fielder’s choice which also plated one run. Landon stole third base and then scored on a wild pitch. Thomas Weaver then drove in the final run of the inning with a single to left center field. Coastal answered with two runs of their own on four hits so the Panthers led 6-3 after three innings.

The Panthers padded their lead in the top of the fourth. Ethan doubled with one out and then Avery crushed a homerun over the scoreboard in dead center field to make the score 8-3. Coastal did not threaten in the bottom of the frame so the score remained 8-3.

Neither team scored in the fifth inning and the Panthers went quietly in the top of the sixth. Coastal scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth on two hits and four walks. This set up an exciting seventh inning with the Panthers leading by two (8-6).

The Panthers threatened by loading the bases but were unable to score any runs. Coastal loaded the bases with one out by a single, a walk and a Panther error. They scored on run on a groundout to first base, but the tying run was now at third and the go ahead run was at second. The next Coastal batter grounded out to Chandler Yoder at second to end the game.

Cameron led the Panthers at the plate with three singles and had one RBI. Ethan Hucks had two hits: a single and a double and scored two runs. Avery had a single and a two-run homer, two RBI’s and scored two runs. Others with hits were Thomas Weaver, Landon Gay, Micaiah Hinkle and Chandler Yoder. Chandler also scored two runs.

Josh Kull was the starting pitcher for PAC. He pitched five innings in picking up his second win of the year. He allowed three earned runs on five hits while striking out five Coastal batters. Chandler followed Josh to the mound and struggled with his control for the first time that I can remember. He allowed three earned runs on one hit in two-thirds of an inning. He issued four free passes and struck out one. Justin Thurber finished the sixth inning, one-third of an inning, and gave up one hit. Ethan Hucks earned the save by pitching the seventh inning. He allowed one unearned run on one hit. He struck out one and walked one.

Game Notes: The Panthers improved to 14-2 with a 3-0 conference record. Avery now has five home runs in his career (three inside the park home runs). The Panthers had four stolen bases and were led by Micaiah with two. Seth Kirby returned to the line-up after nursing an arm injury and threw out two runners from his catcher’s position.

Pac Panthers (2) vs. Coastal Hurricanes (1)

The Panthers won the first game of the double header even though most of the players travelled three hours that morning, driving from Columbia to Savannah, and playing in ninety-degree heat in Savannah. They entered the second game dragging a bit and it showed in the results as the Panthers grinded to a victory but were not sharp in their execution.

The game was scoreless for the first three innings as the Panthers blew several chances to score. Coastal scored one run in the bottom of the fourth without a hit to take the lead.

Neither team scored in the fifth so the Panthers came to bat in the sixth trailing 0-1. Micaiah led off with a walk and went to third on an error that allowed Landon Gay to reach base. Landon then stole second base to put two runners in scoring position with one out. Eshton Hinkle flew out to shallow center field and neither runner was able to advance. Thomas Weaver came up to bat and hit a clutch two out single to left field, scoring both Micaiah and Landon and giving the Panthers a 2-1 lead. Coastal was not able to score in the bottom of the frame so the game went into the seventh inning with the teams separated by just one run.

The Panthers were not able to score so Coastal had one last chance to tie the game. The first two Coastal batters were retired but the next two batters reached on a hit and a hit by pitch. Cameron Duke then earned the save by getting the next Coastal batter to pop out to Avery at short.

The Panthers only had four hits in the victory and were led by Avery who had two singles. Eshton (double) and Thomas (two RBI’s) had the other hits.

Justin Thurber was the starting pitcher for PAC and picked up the victory . He pitched six innings and only allowed one unearned run. He struck out four Coastal batters while allowing three hits and one walk. Cameron Duke earned the save, pitching the seventh inning. He allowed one hit.

Game Notes: The Panthers improve to 15-2 and 4-0 in conference play. The Panthers take to the field again on Monday night at Bray Park against Andrew Jackson Academy.

Pac Panthers (9) vs. Andrew Jackson Academy (1)

The Panthers extended their current winning streak to six games by besting the Warriors from Andrew Jackson Academy at Bray Park on Monday night. Andrew Jackson’s lead-off hitter (Brunson) hit a home run to begin the game and give the Warriors a one run lead. As it turned out, this was the only run the Warriors would score on the night and the Panthers answered immediately. Avery Blevins led off for the Panthers and reached on an infield single. Chandler Yoder reached on an error which advanced Avery to second. Cameron Duke singled to score Avery and Chandler scored on a fielder’s choice by Micaiah Hinkle.

The Panthers added one run in the bottom of the second when Eshton Hinkle tripled to left center field and scored on a ground out by Josh Kull. They added another three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Eshton got things going again by hitting a single to center field. He stole second base and moved to third on a single by Avery. Avery stole second base and moved to third when Eshton scored on a wild pitch. Chandler received a base on balls and both Avery and Chandler scored on a double down the left field line by Landon Gay.

The Panthers scored their final three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Avery walked to begin the inning and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Chandler. Cameron Duke walked to bring Landon up to bat. Landon then slammed his second double of the inning to score Avery. Connor Shealy then tripled to right center field to plate both Cameron and Landon.

Cameron Duke was the starting pitcher for PAC and earned his fifth victory of the season. He allowed a lead off home run but settled down and controlled the rest of the game. He only allowed two hits and the one earned run. He struck out three Warriors and walked two. He was the recipient of stellar defense behind him as several players made outstanding plays. Avery led the team with seven assists and Micaiah tracked down a long fly ball in center field. Josh Kull made an acrobatic play at first tagging out a runner on a throw that was a little off target. Justin Thurber stopped a bullet at third and tagged out an advancing runner. The Panthers did not commit an error in the seven-inning game.

The Panthers banged out nine hits in the game. Landon had two doubles and three RBI’s. Eshton Hinkle had three hits and scored two runs. Avery had two singles and scored three runs. Connor Shealy tripled and had two RBI’s. Cameron had the other hit for PAC.

Game Notes: The Panthers improved to 16-2 on the season and are on a six-game winning streak. This is the first time that PAC has had two five game pitching winners in one season (Ethan Hucks and Cameron Duke). Avery had seven assists which is a new single game record. The previous record was six and had been done by Caleb Wilson (twice) and Clay Dickinson.

Pac Panthers (9) vs. Anderson Cavaliers (3)

The Panthers and Cavaliers met again on the diamond for the second time in a week as the Panthers travelled to Anderson on Tuesday night. The last game ended in a 2-0 Panther victory but the Cavaliers outhit the Panthers by a six to three margin in that game, so the Cavaliers decided to pitch the same pitcher against them again and it did not go as well as they had hoped.

The Panthers jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Avery Blevins led off with a ten pitch at bat that resulted in a single to left field. He stole second base and advanced to third when Chandler Yoder grounded out. Landon Gay doubled with two out to score Avery and Landon scored on a single by Micaiah Hinkle. Micaiah stole second base and scored on a hit by his brother, Eshton Hinkle. The Cavaliers were retired in order in the bottom of the first.

The Panthers added to their lead in the top of the second by plating one run. Chandler walked and then scored on a double to the left center field fence by Cameron Duke. This made the score 4-0 but the Cavaliers scored two runs in their half of the inning on one hit, one walk, two stolen bases and a wild pitch. The score was 4-2, Panthers, after two innings.

The Panthers did not score in the third and the Cavaliers scored one to make it a one run game. The Panthers led 4-3 after three innings. Neither team scored in the fourth inning.

The Panthers increased their lead to two in the fifth when Micaiah Hinkle singled, stole second base and scored on a bloop hit to right field by Thomas Weaver. The Panthers added another run in the six. Seth Kirby was hit by a pitch and moved to second when Avery was hit as well. They stole second and third respectively and then Seth scored on a groundout by Landon Gay. The Cavaliers were held scoreless again and the Panthers led 6-3 after six innings.

The Panthers put the game away in the seventh inning by plating another three runs. Eshton singled and moved to second when Josh Kull was hit by a pitch. The runners moved to second and third when a balk was called on the Anderson pitcher. Eshton scored on a wild pitch that also moved Josh to third and then Josh was also able to score on a wild pitch. Seth Kirby was hit by a pitch with one out and stole second and third base. He scored from there on a sacrifice fly by Avery. Ethan Hucks struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh and the Panthers were now riding a seven-game winning streak.

The Panthers had nine hits with Micaiah and Eshton leading the hit parade with two hits each. Micaiah also scored two runs. Landon Gay doubled and had two RBI’s. Cameron doubled and scored on run. Others with hits were Avery, Thomas and Chandler.

Landon was the starting pitcher for PAC. He pitched two and one-third innings, allowing two earned runs on one hit. He struck out two. Chandler Yoder followed Landon to the mound, pitching two-thirds innings. He allowed one earned run on one hit. Ethan Hucks finished the game on the mound for the Panthers pitching the final four innings. He did not allow any runs but did give up one hit. He walked two but struck out five.

Game Notes: The Panthers improved to a surprising 17-2 on the season. The coaches had told the players they had a chance for a special season, but we would be lying if we told you that we saw this coming. This team is playing fantastic defense and defense travels. An example of this would be in the sixth inning when the Cavaliers got runners on first and second with one out. The next batter hit a grounder to third where Cameron Duke fielded the ball cleanly, stepped on third for one out and then threw to first to complete the double play. Another example would be where a Cavalier batter put a charge on a ball and hit a long fly ball to center field. Micaiah made the play look easy as he ran the ball down and made the catch look easy. Eshton hustled over to field a ball down the left field line and quickly got the ball back into the infield to hold the runner to a single. Their coaches protested several close calls and the game got chippy the longer it went on. Our bench got rowdy and their players started talking, but thankfully, it did not go beyond chatter. The Panthers tied their record for stolen bases in a game with nine. This is the fourth time the Panthers have accomplished this and the second time against Anderson. The Panthers had five assists in the game and were led by Landon with two. The Panthers take to the field for the third night in a row, and for the fifth game in five days, when they travel to Darlington to take on Trinity.

Pac Panthers (5) vs. Calhoun Academy (3)

The Panthers scheduled game against Trinity was cancelled due to rain, so the Panthers took the rest of Easter week off and enjoyed time with their families and worshipping the Lord, our Savior. They came back together this week to practice and then travelled to St. Matthews on Wednesday night o take on the Cavaliers from Calhoun County Academy. The two teams had met earlier in the season with the Panthers taking a 13-2 victory. The game would be a lot closer this time.

The Panthers went quietly in the top of the first and the Cavaliers took the lead in the bottom of the frame by scoring one run on two consecutive doubles. Neither team scored in the second inning.

The Panthers took a brief lead in the top of the third inning by plating two runs. Thomas Weaver led off the inning with a double to left field. Avery came up to bat with one out and struck out on a curve ball in the dirt but the ball scooted past the catcher and Avery was able to scoot to first base before the catcher could retrieve the ball and throw to first to complete the out. Thomas advanced to third on the play. Chandler Yoder drew a walk to load the bases. Cameron Duke drew a walk to force in the first Panther run of the inning and move Avery to third and Chandler to second. The Cavaliers struck out the next Panther batter for the second out of the inning. The starting pitcher for the Cavaliers was a lefty with a slow windup. Avery watched a couple of pitches to get his timing down and then broke for home on the third pitch of the next at bat. The pitcher went through his wind up and delivered the pitch to the plate. Micaiah Hinkle was at bat and saw Avery break for home and moved out of the way. The catcher received the ball and dove forward to try and tag Avery before he reached the plate, but Avery slid in before the tag could be applied. The Cavaliers tied the game up at two in the bottom of the frame when Matt Layton scored on a base hit after reaching via a base on balls and advancing to second on a wild pitch.

Neither team scored in the fourth inning even though the Panthers threatened. Thomas Weaver was at second when Avery drove a long fly ball into the right center field gap that the Cavalier center fielder made a great running catch on. Thomas had moved to third on the hit but was doubled off when the catch was made.

The Cavaliers took the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning when Matt Layton scored his third run of the game on an error, so the game moved into the sixth inning with the Cavaliers sporting a one run lead. The Panthers answered by scoring two runs in the top of the sixth. Connor Shealy reached first on a dropped third strike. He moved to second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on a ground out. The Cavaliers played their infield in to try to prevent Connor from scoring. Thomas Weaver hit a chopper up the middle that the shortstop fielded moving towards second. The shortstop wheeled and threw home trying to prevent Connor from scoring who had broken for home on contact. The ball arrived home before Connor, but the catcher dropped the ball when he went to apply the tag, so the game was now tied. Thomas advanced to second on the play but pulled up lame with a hamstring injury. Seth Kirby came in to replace Thomas and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Seth was able to score as the Cavalier pitcher uncorked a second wild pitch. The Cavaliers did not score in the bottom of the inning as Ethan Hucks struck out the side.

The Panthers scored an insurance run in the top of the seventh as Micaiah drew a walk with two outs. He stole second base to get into scoring position. Connor Shealy was the next batter and hit a grounder to the third baseman who fielded the ball cleanly but bounced his throw to first. The first baseman appeared to make the catch, but the ball dropped out of his glove for an error just as Connor was crossing the bag. Micaiah was off with contact and rounded third and continued for home as the first baseman was tried to quickly pick up the ball and look to the umpire for the call, never even looking at Micaiah until he was crossing home. This was some outstanding base running by Micaiah. The Cavaliers got two runners on in the bottom of the seventh but could not score giving the Panthers their eighth consecutive victory.

Cameron Duke was the starting pitcher for PAC. He pitched four innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits. He struck out four and walked one. He pitched very well, keeping the Panthers in the game on a night when they were not hitting particularly well. Ethan Hucks picked up the win by pitching the final three innings. He allowed one unearned run while striking out six and walking three.

The Panthers won this game despite only having one hit (Thomas Weaver’s double in the third). There were several other hard hits balls, but Cavalier fielders made nice plays to just turn those balls into outs. Their center fielder robbed Landon and Avery of extra base hits and Cameron hit a rocket to third base that they made a nice play on. The Panthers overcame this with excellent base running and by taking advantage of occasional wildness by the Cavalier pitchers.

Game Notes: The Panthers improve to 18-2 with the victory. The team record for victories in a season is twenty-three. Ethan Hucks improved his pitching record to 6-1 on the year. This already ties Ethan in third for victories in a season (the record for victories for one season is eight). The Panthers stole eight bases in the game which is good for second place (the record is nine and has been accomplished four times). Avery had three stolen bases which is good for second in a game. He also became the fourth player to steal home – no wild pitch or passed ball involved. The others to accomplish this are Alex Blevins, Trevor Dacus and Cal Hucks. The Panthers play a double header against the Upstate Eagles on Saturday.

Pac Panthers (11) vs. Upstate Eagles (1)

The Panthers continued their season by playing their conference rival, the Upstate Eagles, in the first game of a double header at Bray Park on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers needed to only win one game of the double header to secure the top seen in the upcoming South Carolina Homeschool playoffs and they took care of that in the first game of the day.

The Panthers immediately got to work and scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning after holding the Eagles scoreless in the top of the frame. Avery Blevins led off with a walk and went to second on a single by Cameron Duke. Landon Gay singled to score Avery and advance Cameron to second. Eshton Hinkle provided the third straight hit for the Panthers loading the bases. Cameron scored the last run of the inning when he scampered home on a wild pitch.

The Eagles were retired in order in the top of the second and the Panthers expanded their lead by plating another two runs. Zane Kirby reached on an error with one out and advanced to second on a wild pitch and then on to third on a single by Avery who promptly stole second base. Micaiah Hinkle grounded out scoring Zane from third with Avery remaining at second. Cameron slammed his second hit of the game to right center field to score Avery.

The Eagles scored their only run of the game in the top of the third, scoring their run on back to back doubles. The Panthers answered immediately by plating another four runs. Eshton led off the inning with his second consecutive single and Ethan moved him to second when he reached on a base on balls. Josh Kull laid down a beautiful sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position. Justin Thurber then hit a grounder to the right field which the Eagles misplayed for an error allowing both Eshton and Ethan to score to make the score 6-1. Justin stole second base and scored when Zane Kirby singled to center field. Avery advanced Zane to second on his second consecutive single. Micaiah hit into a fielder’s choice when the Eagles got Zane out while he was advancing to third. Avery scored from second on Cameron’s third straight hit to make the score 8-1 Panthers.

Neither team scored in the fourth inning and then the Panthers ended the game in the bottom of the fifth inning by plating three runs and taking a ten-run lead. Justin and Zane hit back to back singles with one out. Micaiah was hit by a pitch with two outs to load the bases. Cameron came to bat and worked the count full (three balls and two strikes) so all the Panthers were on the move on the next pitch when Cameron hit a ball down the right field line clearing the bases with Cameron ending up on third with a game ending triple.

The Panthers had twelve hits on the day with Cameron leading the way with four hits and five RBI’s. Avery had two singles and scored three runs in the game. Eshton and Zane also had two singles. Others with hits include Landon and Justin. Justin also had two RBI’s.

Landon Gay was the starting pitcher for the Panthers and pitched a complete game. He allowed one earned run on two hits. He struck out four Eagles and walked three. He improved his record to 3-0 on the year.

Game Notes: Cameron had four hits in the game which ties him for second place for hits in the game. Parker Pocock has the record with five hits in a game. Cameron’s five RBI’s tied him for third (the record is seven). The Panthers improved to 19-2 on the year and 5-0 in conference play. The Panthers were missing three players in the game as Thomas Weaver missed the game due to an injury and Chandler Yoder and Connor Shealy could not make the game. Two Eagles players collided going for a Texas leaguer in the outfield. One player was knocked unconscious but woke up and had a concussion but did not appear to have any other injures and for that we are grateful.

Pac Panthers (6) vs. Upstate Eagles (0)

The Panthers completed a perfect conference season (6-0) by besting the Upstate Eagles in the second game of a double header on Saturday afternoon at Bray Park by a score of 6-0. The threatened rain never materialized so they played under an overcast sky.

Ethan Hucks was the starting pitcher for PAC and he completely stymied the Eagles in four innings of work. He did not allow a run in winning his seventh game on the year. He gave up two hits while striking out seven Eagle batters. He was followed to the mound by Josh Kull who pitched two and two-thirds innings. Josh gave up one hit and one walk while striking out four batters. Micaiah Hinkle struck out the last batter of the game giving the Panther pitchers twelve total strikeouts.

Neither team scored in the first inning, but the Panthers dented the scoreboard by putting up three runs in the bottom of the second inning. Landon Gay lead off with a single and stole second and third base. He scored on a sacrifice fly by Eshton Hinkle. Seth Kirby was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a single by Justin Thurber. Josh Kull walked to load the bases and Ethan doubled to plate by Seth and Justin; giving the Panthers a 3-0 lead.

The Panthers scored their fourth run in the bottom of the third when Eshton received a base on balls and stole second base. He then scored on an Eagle error. The Panthers scored runs five and six in the bottom of the fourth inning. Justin and Josh led off the inning by receiving back to back walks. Avery Blevins hit a ground rule double with one out to plate Justin and move Josh to third. Micaiah Hinkle hit a sacrifice fly to score Josh and complete the Panther’s scoring for the day.

The Panthers had six hits on the day and were led by Avery and Ethan who both singled and doubled. Ethan also had two RBI’s. Landon and Justin had the other hits for PAC.

Game Notes: The Panthers improved to 20-2 on the season with a 6-0 conference record. This was Ethan’s seventh victory of the year (the record for wins in a season is eight – Trevor Dacus (2015)). Panther pitching had twelve strikeouts which is good for second place (thirteen -Heathwood (2020)). The Panthers take to the diamond again on Wednesday night against Trinity; a make-up game for one rained out two weeks ago. This is the Panther’s tenth win in a row setting a new record for consecutive victories (the old record was nine and was accomplished three previous times).

Pac Panthers (0) vs. Trinty Collegiate (3)

The Panthers had their ten-game win streak broken by Trinity Collegiate on Wednesday night by a score of 3-0. The victory improved Trinity Collegiate’s record to 17-5, so this is a good 3A SCISA team. This was the was the first time that PAC and Trinity had met on the diamond.

The Panthers threatened in the top of the first, getting the first two batters at first and second respectively with no outs but Trinity got the next three batters without allowing a score. The Panthers were a little more generous and allowed two unearned runs to Trinity in the bottom of the frame.

The Panthers got the bases loaded in the top of the second with one out on the strength of two hits and a walk, but two straight fly balls ended their scoring chances and really their last scoring opportunity of the night.

The Titans from Trinity scored one last unearned run in the bottom of the fifth inning and that closed the book on the scoring for the night.

The Panthers only had three hits: Avery Blevins, Connor Shealy and Justin Thurber. The Titans only had five hits but took advantage of three Panther errors.

Ethan Hucks pitched a great game for PAC. He pitched a complete six inning game only allowing the three unearned runs. He struck out eleven Titan batters while walking three. He really deserved better than a loss in this game.

Game Notes: Ethan continues to strike out batters at a very good clip. This is the second time this year he has struck out eleven batters in a game (each time tied him for third for strikeouts for one game). He now has sixty-one strikeouts for the season which is a new record (the previous record was 56 and was set by James Reed in 2017). The loss breaks the Panthers ten game winning streak which was the first double digit win streak in Panther History. The record before this was nine games and was accomplished three times.

Pac Panthers (10) vs. Coastal Hurricanes (1)

The Panthers met the Coastal Hurricanes for the third time this year (we met for a double header earlier this year in Savannah and those games counted as conference tilts, so these games were just additional games to pad everyone’s schedules).

Josh Kull was the starting pitcher for PAC, and he allowed a hit in the first inning but otherwise shut the Hurricanes down. The Panthers struck for three runs in the bottom of the frame. Avery Blevins led off the game with a double and advanced to third on a single by Chandler Yoder. Chandler stole second base to put two runners in scoring position. Thomas Weaver smashed the Panther’s third consecutive hit which scored Avery and then Chandler scored when the Hurricanes threw the ball away for an error. Ethan Huck tripled to left center to score Thomas for the third and final run of the inning.

The Panthers scored another run in the bottom of the second. Josh Kull singled and advanced to second on a single by Chandler Yoder. Josh later scored on an error.

Neither team scored in the third inning, but the Panthers added two more in the bottom of the fourth. Eshton Hinkle singled and stole second base. He scored on Avery’s second double of the game. Avery advanced to third on a wild pitch and then scored on another. The Panthers led 6-0 after four innings.

The Hurricanes scored their lone run in the top of the sixth inning when a runner on third scored on a ground out. The Panthers responded by adding four runs in the bottom of the sixth effectively ending the game. Eshton singled for his second hit of the game and he scored on Avery’s third double in his four at bats. Avery advanced to third on a wild pitch and then stole home for the Panther’s eighth run of the game. He noticed the pitcher and catcher were not paying much attention to him at third, so he got a very healthy secondary lead and then broke for home as the catcher threw the ball back to the pitcher. The pitcher caught the ball and tried to throw it back to the catcher in order to prevent Avery from scoring, but Avery slid into home before the catcher could apply the tag. Zane Kirby replaced Thomas Weaver in the lineup and singled with two outs. He advanced to third on a single by Connor Shealy. Connor then stole second to put two runners in scoring position. Micaiah Hinkle hit a hot grounder to the third baseman who made a bad throw to first base. Zane scored on the error and Braydon Shealy (courtesy runner for Connor) motored around third and kept right on going, sliding into home before the first baseman could retrieve the ball and throw it back home. The Hurricanes could not score in the top of the seventh, so the game ended with the Panthers victorious with their twenty-first victory.

As stated earlier, Josh was the starting pitcher for PAC. He pitched six innings allowing one earned run. He struck out eight Hurricane batters while walking three. Josh Thurber pitched the final inning and struck out one batter.

The Panthers had twelve hits in the game. Avery led the way with three doubles. He also scored three runs and had two RBI’s. Chandler and Eshton both had two singles and Eshton scored two runs. Ethan tripled and scored on run and had one RBI. Others with hits include Thomas Weaver, Zane Kirby, Seth Kirby and Josh Kull.

Game Notes: This was the Panther’s twenty-first victory of the year. The Panthers stole five bases. Avery stole home for the second time this year. The Panthers had eleven assists in the game and were led by Justin Thurber and Connor who both had three.

Pac Panthers (7) vs. Coastal Hurricanes (2)

The Panthers won their fourth game against the Coastal Hurricanes for the year, sweeping the season series. The Hurricanes struck first in this game by plating two runs against the Panther starting pitcher, Cameron Duke, on three hits. The Panthers responded by scratching for three runs in the bottom of the first. Chandler drew a walk with one out and moved to second on a single by Cameron Duke. Landon Gay singled for the third consecutive hit which allowed Chandler to score. Cameron advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Thomas Weaver. Thomas later scored on a Hurricane error.

The Hurricanes were scoreless in the second and the Panthers added two more runs in the bottom of the inning. Connor Shealy singled and scored on a double by Avery Blevins. Avery scored later when he was on third with the bases loaded and Thomas Weaver drew a base on balls.

The Panthers scored their final two runs in the bottom of the third. Connor Shealy singled and scored on an inside the park home run by Avery Blevins.

Neither team scored for the remainder of the game. Cameron gave up two runs in the first inning but then rebounded to hold the Hurricanes scoreless for the next three innings. He gave up four hits, struck out five batters and did not walk one Hurricane. He was replaced by Justin Thurber who pitched two innings. Justin gave up four hits and struck out one. Zane Kirby pitched the final inning and did not give up any hits or runs.

The Panthers had eight hits in the game. Avery led the way with a double and a home run. He also had three RBI’s and scored two runs. Connor Shealy contributed two singles. Others with hits were Eshton Hinkle, Thomas Weaver, Landon Gay and Cameron Duke. Justin Thurber scored two runs.

Game Notes: This victory was the Panthers 22nd victory of the season which is one shy of the one season record of 23 victories which was accomplished twice (2016 and 2017). Avery hit his fourth home run of the season (two inside the park home runs and two of the regular variety). Cameron’s pitching record is 6-0 on the season.

Pac Panthers (4) vs. Richard Winn (5)

The Panther’s record fell to 22-4 with a loss to the Eagles from Richard Winn on Tuesday night in Winnsboro. Richard Winn has only lost one time this season since their early season loss against the Panthers and were looking for revenge. The Panthers plated one run in the top of the first when Avery Blevins singled, stole second base, advanced to third on a single by Chandler Yoder and scored on a sacrifice fly by Cameron Duke. The Eagles responded in a big way by plating five runs in the bottom of the frame. Their leadoff hitter singled and advanced to second on a Panther error which allowed the second Eagle batter to reach base safely. The third hitter (Taylor) then hit a three-run home run to left center field. The next batter walked and then scored on a two-base error by the Panther outfield. That batter then scored on a ground out to complete their scoring. Unfortunately, the Eagles made these five runs stand up for the victory.

The Panthers tried to fight back, stranding base runners in the second and third innings. They plated two runs in the top of the fourth to claw within two runs. Thomas Weaver and Micaiah Hinkle drew back to back walks to begin the inning. They advanced one base on a single by Connor Shealy but Thomas was picked off third base by a great throw by the Eagle catcher. Eshton Hinkle singled to plate his brother and Avery singled to score Joey Christenson who was running for Connor.

The Panthers were down to their final chance. Eshton singled to begin the top of the seventh and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Justin Thurber singled to send Eshton to third and then Eshton scored on a ground out but there were now two outs. The Eagles got the third out of the inning on a strikeout to end the game.

Ethan Hucks was the starting pitcher for PAC and took the loss lowering his record to 7-3. He allowed five runs but only two of them were earned. The Eagles had four hits against Ethan and accepted three free passes. Ethan was replaced by Zane Kirby who pitched the final three innings. Zane allowed two hits, struck out three batters, but also walked three. He did not surrender any runs.

The Panthers had nine hits against the Eagles. Connor Shealy singled and doubled. Avery and Eshton both had two singles. Others with hits were Chandler, Justin Thurber and Cameron. Cameron also had two RBI’s.

The loss lowered the Panther’s record to 22-4 and they take to the diamond again on Wednesday night at Bray Park. The Seniors from the 2020 and 2021 season will be honored in a pre-game ceremony.

Pac Panthers (8) vs. Heathwood Hall (2)

The Panthers celebrated Senior Night at Bray Park on Wednesday night before the game against Heathwood Hall. The team honored seven Seniors and their families on the field, and, also recognized the Seniors from the 2020 season which was cut short due to the Covid Panic. The 2021 Seniors are Avery Blevins, Joey Christenson, Cameron Duke, Justin Thurber, Chandler Yoder, Micaiah Hinkle and Thomas Weaver. The 2020 Seniors were David Hucks, Caleb Krupcyzk, Jonathan Sarazen and Drew McKay. Jonathan was the only 2020 Senior who was able to attend the festivities.

Cameron Duke was the starting pitcher for PAC and he allowed one base runner (single) in the top of the first but they were stranded at third. The Panthers took immediate control of the game by plating four runs in the bottom of the inning. Micaiah Hinkle walked with one out and scored on a triple by Cameron. Chandler grounded out to score Cameron from third. Thomas Weaver singled and stole second base and then scored on a double by Connor Shealy. Connor scored on a single by Justin Thurber to close out the first inning scoring.

Neither team scored in the second or third innings. Heathwood did manage to get a runner to third in each frame, but the Panthers always got the final out before that runner could score. The Highlanders went quietly in the top of the fourth and the Panthers finally added to their lead in the bottom of the inning. Seth Kirby doubled with one out and Avery singled to score him. Avery stole second base and scored on a single by Micaiah to close out the scoring in the fourth and to make the score 6-0 Panthers.

Thomas Weaver came to the mound in the fifth inning for his first pitching appearance of the year. He did a good job throwing strikes and continued the shutout through five innings. The Panthers were retired in order in the bottom of the frame.

Justin pitched the sixth inning for PAC and the Highlanders were finally able to break through on the scoreboard when their leadoff hitter singled and scored on a triple (Humphries). The Panthers got that run back and added one more when they plated two runs in their half of the inning. Seth Kirby hit his second double of the game and moved to third on a wind aided double by Avery. Micaiah hit a sacrifice fly to center field scoring Zane (courtesy runner for Seth) and Avery moved to third on the throw and kept right on going when the throw to the plate got away from the catcher and went to the backstop. Avery slid into home before the pitcher, backing up home on the play, could retrieve the ball and flip it to the catcher. Avery’s heads up running made the score 8-1 PAC.

Micaiah pitched the final inning and allowed one run on a walk and a hit. The game ended 8-2 in favor of the Panthers for their twenty-third win of the season.

The Panthers had eleven hits in the game with Seth leading the way with two doubles. Cameron Duke tripled and singled and knocked in one run. Avery singled and doubled, scored two runs and had one RBI. Thomas Weaver had two singles. Others with hits were Connor Shealy (double), Micaiah (three RBI’s) and Justin.

Cameron was the winning pitcher for PAC, pitching four innings. He did not allow a run while giving up three hits. He struck out three and walked one. Thomas Weaver pitched the fifth inning allowing one hit and walking one Highlander batter. Justin Thurber pitched the sixth inning allowing one earned run on three hits. He struck out one Highlander batter. Micaiah Hinkle pitched the final inning and allowed one earned run. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out one.

Game Notes: This win improved the Panthers to 23-4 tying the record for victories in a season (the Panthers have approximately seven games remaining so the opportunity for a new single season win record is certainly there). Cameron improved his 2021 pitching record to 7-0 with one save. The team had ten assists with Chandler leading the way with three. The Panthers had four doubles in this game, led by Seth Kirby with two.