BASEBALL: Shute, Chapman pitch Panthers past Trico
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[When Daron Meyerhoff homered with two outs in the bottom of the first inning for Trico, the Pioneers had a total of three hits and a 3-0 lead on the host Pinckneyville Panthers.
After seven innings, those totals remained accurate, and PCHS improved to 4-2 in 2011 with a 7-3 victory on Monday afternoon.
"We really didn't swing the bats very well today, but we found a way to win," said Pinckneyville head baseball coach Alan Engelhardt. "I thought Trico did a nice job of throwing three very different pitchers at us, and we really never got into a groove."
Panthers' starter Bryant Shute (2-1) didn't allow a hit after the first inning, picking up the victory with his five innings of work, allowing 3 hits, 3 earned runs and striking out five Pioneers. Evan Chapman continued a masterful pitching performance by the Panthers, earning a save with two innings of relief where he allowed no hits, one walk and struck out three.
"Bryant really got his off-speed stuff working to get Trico off-balance," Engelhardt said, "then Evan Chapman did a nice job coming in to close the door. After the first, they really didn't take any good swings on us, and I thought we were pretty solid defensively aside from a couple of miscues."
Down 3-0 in the bottom of the second, the Panthers' bats began to come to life as Noah Hepp homered for the second straight game, a three-run shot that scored Marian Brammeier and C.J. Opp. The Panthers would tack on two more runs in the inning and led 5-3 until the fourth.
In the bottom of the fourth, Brammeier did some damage with a two-out, two-RBI single that brought Shute and Brandon Long across the plate to put PCHS up by four.
Despite the seven runs, the Panthers had just five hits, one each from Brammeier (1-3, R, 2 RBI), Opp (1-3, R), Hepp (1-2, HR, BB, R, 3 RBI), Mathhew Nichols (1-3, BB) and Hunter Queen (1-3, R). Shute was 0-for-4 at the plate, but scored a run and drove in another in addition to stealing a base.
"We still have some work to do to keep getting better, but the good news is we are learning and trying to change and get better," Engelhardt said. "Our attitudes have been pretty good and I think we are a few adjustments from getting our offense going."
The baseball Panthers (4-2) are at home again on Tuesday against Zion-Benton at 3:30 p.m.