Varsity baseball season starts on high note for Panthers
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The Western Panthers ushered in the varsity baseball season at Kokomo Municipal Stadium on April 3 and promptly racked up a pair of wins. The Tipton Blue Devils just happened to be the unfortunate recipients of the thrashing.
Western took the first game, 5-2, but followed up with a 16-0 blowout that sent Tipton limping home.
Western struck first in the opening game, scoring a pair of runs in the second inning. Tipton put a run on the board in the fourth, but the Panthers responded with one of their own in the bottom the frame.
A similar scenario unfolded in the sixth as the Blue Devils again plated a run, only to have Western score twice in the bottom of the inning, putting the game out of reach.
Senior Kellen Hussong went 2-3 in the opener with a double and two runs driven in, while junior Nick Nasser and sophomore Piercen Nasser each had a hit for the Blue Devils.
On Western's side of the ledger, junior Cal Berryman led his team with two singles, driving in three runs. Seniors Liam Paden and Brady Comer each had a double, while senior Kyler Norman and junior Ryan Rodman each singled and drove in a run.
The Panthers also burned up the basepaths, logging seven stolen bases. Norman and Comer had two each, while Paden, Rodman, and Berryman each stole one base. Caleb Hare reached base twice for Tipton via walks, and the senior managed a stolen base in the process.
The second game started strong for Western. The Panthers scored a run in the first, but in the second they unleashed a punishing barrage of hits that left Tipton reeling. Ten Panthers crossed the plate during the inning.
That hit parade would have been sufficient to invoke the mercy rule, but Western added three runs in the fourth and another pair in the fifth, removing all doubt that Tipton had met its betters.
The Blue Devils were held to just two hits in the game: a triple from senior Aiden Borders and a single from freshman Quinn Tolle.
Nine Panthers had hits in the contest, including a four-hit explosion featuring a triple and three runs driven in from Rodman. Paden (one RBI), junior Grayson Miller, junior Jason Dickison (two RBIs), and Berryman (two RBIs) each had a pair of hits.
Other Western hits came from Comer (one RBI), junior Brayden Miller (two RBIs), junior Charlie Brewer (two RBIs), and sophomore Gavin Denton (two RBIs).
Western hosted West Lafayette on April 7 and will next travel to Rossville to face the Hornets. Tipton travels to Lewis Cass this evening with hopes of finding the win column.
See additional photos from both games, courtesy of Adam Hartsough, on the Lantern’s Facebook page or group.