BASEBALL: Panthers win wild home opener
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[After a disappointing opening day at Mt. Vernon two weeks ago, Pinckneyville has now won three straight games and on Wednesday took their home opener in dramatic fashion, knocking off Marion 11-10 in eight innings on C.J. Opp's game-winning single.
"Even though we have some things to work on from the pitching and base-running fronts, we found a way to win," said PCHS head baseball coach Alan Engelhardt. "We had hits from seven different spots in our order and the other two spots reached on walks as well. I like the fact that we are developing some depth in our batting order to make people have to pitch to us."
2011 All-South selection Evan Chapman made his season debut on the hill, but ended up making more of a difference at the plate. After retiring the Wildcats in order in the top of the first, Chapman stepped in with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the inning and jacked a grand slam to left on a full count for a 4-0 Pinckneyville lead. Opp (HBP), Joey Burris (2B) and Marian Brammeier (BB) all came in to score on the home run.
Chapman allowed two runs on four hits in the second, then struck out the side after a leadoff single in the third. Bryant Shute led off the bottom of the third with a double for PCHS, then came in to score on Chapman's two-out single to make it 5-2.
Five hits allowed by Chapman led to four Wildcat runs in the fourth, and Marion took command after tagging Joey Burris for three more runs in the fifth.
Down 9-6, the Panthers clawed back in the bottom of the sixth. Justin Bumann led off with a walk and Noah Hepp was hit by a pitch, then Colton Nelson singled to load the bases for Dylan Hardin who drove in both Bumann and Hepp with a base hit on a 3-2 count. Shute would later drive in Hardin to tie the game at 9-9, and the score would remain that way until the top of the eighth where Marion edged ahead 10-9 on a couple of hits and a walk.
In the bottom of the eighth, however, Hepp and Nelson both singled to start Pinckneyville's game-winning rally. Hardin came up to sacrifice Nelson over to second, but ended up at second base himself after a bunt single. Opp did the rest, singling to right to bring in Nelson for a walk-off victory, the first for the Panthers on the new grass infield at Rigdon Field.
Chapman allowed six earned runs on ten hits on the hill (5 K, 0 BB), but drove in five at the plate with a 2-for-4 showing on offense. Hardin (3-5, R, 2 RBI) and Nelson (3-4, R, 2 RBI) led PCHS with three hits apiece. Shute (2-4, 2B, R, RBI), Burris (2-4, 2B, R), Hepp (2-3, HBP, 2B, 3 R), and Opp (1-4, HBP, R) also hit safely for the Panthers.
Burris gave up four earned runs on five hits and three walks in his three innings of work, Bumann picked up the win for retiring three batters in the eighth, allowing one hit and one walk.
"Justin Bumann gave us some really good innings at the end of the game to help us stay in the game and have the chance to win," Engelhardt said.
The Panthers (3-1) are at home again on Thursday against Steeleville at 4:30 p.m.
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