BASEBALL: Panthers beat up on Bulldogs, 11-4

Pinckneyville erupted for a dozen hits in an 11-4 home win over Sparta on Thursday with Tyler Rulevish (3-3, 2 R, RBI, 2B, BB), Jacob Louis (2-4, R, RBI, 2B), Trent Hicks (2-3, R, 2 RBI, 2B, BB) and Brian Kling (2-3, 2 R, 2B, BB) all recording multi-hit games for the victorious Panthers.

Caleb Dahn allowed four runs on nine hits and four walks in his five and struck out five in his five and two-thirds innings of work on the mound to pick up the win. Hicks gave up one hit in an inning and a third of relief.

After Dahn pitched around a one-out walk to escaped the top of the first with no damage, Rulevish and Nolan Luke singled to start the bottom of the inning for the Panthers. Hicks reached on an error with two outs and both Rulevish and Luke crossed home plate for a 2-0 PCHS lead.

Pinckneyville kept coming in the second inning, again getting a pair of leadoff hits, this time from Brian Kling (double) and Miles Chandler (RBI single). Rulevish then doubled, Luke walked, and Jacob Louis knocked in a run with a base hit. Justin Bauersachs (ground-out) and Hicks (single) added RBIs in the four-run frame for the Panthers.

Sparta got a run back in the third, but PCHS kept the pressure on with five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. The first three batters all reached base - Louis (double), Bauersachs (walk) and Hicks (RBI double), and Jackson Brand and Rulevish drove in runs to cap off the rally.

The Bulldogs threatened again in the fifth, but Hicks came on in relief of Dahn and retired four of the five batters he face to close out the game.

In addition to the four Panthers tallying two or more hits, Luke (1-3, 2 R, BB), Chandler (1-3, R, RBI, BB) and Brand (1-3, R, 2 RBI) also contributed to the offensive outburst for Pinckneyville.

The Panthers (7-7, 2-2) will host Waterloo and Carmi on Saturday at Rigdon Field.