DEMOREST, Ga.—LaGrange scored six runs with two outs in the
bottom of the eighth inning to erase a five run deficit and defeat
Huntingdon, 11-10, in the opening game of the 2010 Great South Athletic
Conference Tournament opener on Friday at Loudermilk Park.
The Hawks (27-13) will now have to win four straight games in order
to capture the tournament championship, beginning with an elimination
game on Saturday at 4 p.m. Huntingdon will take on the loser of the late
game on Friday between Maryville and host Piedmont.
For the contest, seniors Chris Knight and Bryant Hall, junior Drew
Harrell and freshman Austin White each drove in two runs, with Harrell
leading the team with two hits.
Senior Kyle Eller took the loss for the Hawks, falling to 0-1 on the
season, after allowing two runs on three hits in relief of fellow senior
Alex Sanford. Sanford tossed 7 2/3 innings, allowing nine hits and
eight runs, while also walking eight and hitting two batters. Entering
the game with the most strikeouts in all of Division III, Sanford
managed just three punch outs against the Panthers (24-17).
James Yancey earned the victory of the Panthers, throwing two innings
of perfect relief and striking out four.
David Miller and Dale Feldman each finished with three hits for
LaGrange, while Robbie Shelton posted just one hit, a two-run home run
in the eighth inning, but scored three runs.
Huntingdon jumped out to a 6-1 lead after the opening frame, thanks
to a pair of errors by the Panthers.
However, LaGrange closed the gap to just one run, 6-5, after six
innings of play, but the Hawks answered with four runs in the top of the
seventh. Harrell delivered the big hit of the frame, a two-run single
with two down.
Despite the insurance runs, Huntingdon was unable to record the final
out in the bottom of the eighth, as the Panthers saw six straight
hitters reach base. In addition to the home run by Shelton, Luis Perez
delivered a game-winning, two-run double.
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Tim Lutz
Sports Information Director
Phone: (334) 833-4579
tlutz@huntingdon.edu
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