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BASEBALL: Panthers whiff in conference opener with Carterville

Posted April 02, 2012 11:00 pm

Doug Daniels

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Sammy Stearns struck out 10 batters and Carterville manufactured enough offense to start their conference schedule with a 4-1 victory at Pinckneyville on Monday at Rigdon Field.

The Panthers stranded three baserunners at third base and two more at second while out-hitting the Lions 6-5 and wasting a strong complete game on the mound from left-hander C.J. Opp.

"Ten strikeouts is not acceptable," said PCHS head baseball coach Alan Engelhardt. "It's another guy who just beat us with fastballs, it isn't like he was nasty with everything else, he was just throwing the ball right by us and that can't happen."

Pinckneyville got on the board first in the bottom of the second when Joey Burris led off with a walk and scored on Noah Hepp's one-out triple, but like Opp was in the first inning, Hepp was left standing at third when the inning ended.

Opp allowed just one baserunner through his first three innings of work, but three singles and a walk in the fourth ended up putting the Lions out in front for good. Keegan Henderson and Billy Ott had RBIs in the inning for Carterville.

That would be enough for Stearns, who retired ten in a row after Hepp's triple. Pinckneyville's Bryant Shute doubled to lead off the sixth and stole third, but Hunter Queen and Justyn Rushing went down swinging and Burris grounded out to short to end the threat.

Cam Lenzini drove in Stearns with a single in the sixth and Daniel Allen brought in Steven Wood with a two-out base hit in the seventh to pad the Lions' lead.

Hepp (2-3, 2B, 3B, RBI), Shute (2-3, 2B), Opp (1-3) and Dylan Hardin (1-4) accounted for Pinckneyville's six hits. Allen (1-4, RBI), Ott (1-3, RBI), Lenzini (1-2, BB, 2B, R, RBI), Henderson (1-3, RBI) and Stearns (1-3, BB, R) hit safely for Carterville.

Opp took the loss, allowing four earned runs on five hits and three walks while fanning five. Stearns allowed one earned run on six hits and one walk with his ten strikeouts to get the victory.

"It came down to four different points where we lost the game," Engelhardt said. "Number one was Noah (Hepp) triples and we strikeout, groundout and leave him stranded. C.J. (Opp) gets a ground ball with an out in the fourth that's a tailor-made double play, we make a terrible relay throw and they end up getting a hit with the next batter to score two runs instead of being out of the inning. Shute had a leadoff double in the sixth and was stranded. (In the top of that inning) they made a play to beat us, got a leadoff guy on, bunted him over perfectly and singled him home."

"We did not execute, but the strikeouts are the most frustrating, because you just can't get beat with a fastball."

Injuries continue to be a bit of a concern for the Panthers, who were without pitcher-third baseman Evan Chapman (dislocated rib) following his first at bat and were also missing the services of Hardin (torn labrum) in the field. No definite timetable has been established for when either player may be back to full strength.

Pinckneyville (4-4) looks to break a three-game losing streak at Anna on Tuesday.

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