The Panther baseball team fell to .500 on the season after a Tuesday 7-5 loss to MACCRAY, in a game that was there for the taking.
TMB (5-5, 2-2 in the Camden) left the bases loaded twice and runners on second and third base once and committed two costly errors in the tough-luck setback.
“We had guys on base all day every inning,” TMB manager James Fultz said. “In some games, we’ve gotten that kind of ‘kill shot’ like Aiden on Friday we had the bases loaded and he hit a double. Today we just couldn’t get over the hump.”
MACCRAY kept the pressure on the Panthers all game long, scoring single runs in the first, third and fourth innings. But TMB always found a way to respond, scoring their own set of single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings.
Then, after MACCRAY plated two runs in its half of the fifth, TMB countered with a two-run sixth inning.
Connor Lanoue got as far as third base after reaching on an infield hit but was later retired at home on a Noah Knakmuhs fielder’s choice. David Schuh singled, and with runners on second and third, Trevor Smith was given an intentional free pass to load the bases. Aiden Sanow walked to push Schuh across, and Smith tied it when he scored on a MACCRAY error. However, a strikeout left the bases full.
The Wolverines took the lead back with two runs in the seventh, courtesy of two walks, a throwing error and a sacrifice fly, but TMB wasn’t quite done.
In the bottom of the seventh, Taylor Squires got things started with an infield base hit and moved to second on a Conor Lanoue single.
With momentum on their side, Zick, who normally is asked to bunt with a runner on, then lined a single to first base that was snagged by Jase Dirksen. Lanoue had broke for second base and was easily doubled up on the play for the first and second outs.
“Maybe if (the first baseman) wasn’t playing up, it might’ve been a ground ball to him and then we’ve got guys on second and third,” Fultz said. “Sometimes, that’s just how baseball is.”
MACCRAY reliever Grayson Ahrenholz then struck out Schuh — who had two hits on the day — to end the game.
“I thought our at-bats all around were pretty good,” Futlz said. “I can’t complain about the at-bats today. The defensive side, a little shaky, but they were, too.
Zick started on the mound, as the original starter, Connor Lanoue missed the first part of the game as he was returning from State FFA.
Zick was lifted in the fifth for the latearriving Lanoue and with TMB trailing 4-2.
Schuh, Sanow, Taylor Squires and Lanoue all had two hits for TMB, Smith scored two runs, and Schuh, Brody Hauger and Lanoue all scored one run.
MACCRAY 101 120 2 — 7 6 2 TMB 001 112 0 — 5 10 2
Zick, Lanoue (L, 5) and Knakmuhs and Squires.
SACB: Zick (2).
APRIL 24: TMB 8, EDGERTON 6
Trevor Smith struck out 12 over six innings and didn’t give up an earned run and the Panthers held on to beat Edgerton 8-6 last Friday.
“Trevor was dominant today; he controlled the game, TMB manager James Fultz said. “Dave (Schuh) came in the game with a six-run lead and got us out of there with a win. It wasn’t his best performance, but he took care of business and closed out the game.”
TMB scored all but two of its runs in the fifth inning to bust open a 2-2 game.
Taylor Squires and Schuh both had two hits and an RBI, and Connor Lanoue and Aiden Sanow both doubled. Sanow knocked in three runs in the fifth on a big bases-clearing, two-out two-bagger.
“The offense was great today, we had great at bats from everyone on the team,” Fultz said. “We had runners in scoring position in five of the seven innings, and the innings we didn’t score, Edgerton made a great play in the field to stop us. This was a big win against another south subsection team; the guys really wanted this one and it showed with how well we played.”
TMB will play at KMS on Thursday.
TMB 110 060 0 — 8 7 2 Edgerton 101 000 4 — 6 7 1 Smith (W) Schuh (7) and Squires. 2B: Lanoue, Sanow.
TMB CATCHER TAYLOR SQUIRES reaches to tag a MACCRAY runner out at home Tuesday.
Photo / Per Peterson
