Baseball Fails to Hold Off Late Inning Rallies; Swept By Washington University 8-7, 12-10
Published: April 13, 2021
GREENVILLE, Ill. After jumping out to early inning leads in both games of Saturdays double-header against Washington U. the Panthers were unable to fend off a pair of late game heroics by the Bears. Greenville dropped the opener 8-7, and followed with a 12-10 defeat in the capper.
Justin Hubbard led Greenville offensively in the opener, hitting 2-for-4 with two RBI.
In game one GC opened with a pair of RBI singles delivered by Kenny Trager and Hubbard that helped the club reach a 3-0 margin after the first inning. Both teams would plateau through three, before the fourth saw both teams add a run to the scoreboard. Greenville starter Cody Hinterscher held the Bears without a hit through the first five innings and helped pace the Panthers to the 5-1 lead.
Washington U. scored twice more in the sixth, with Greenville getting two of the runs back in the bottom half of the inning to take a 7-4 lead into the seventh. GC had the Bears down to their last out in the eighth when a base hit into right field sparked a painful two-out rally. A double to deep left field scored a WashU base runner that had advanced to second on a wild pitch, and the next Bear batter tied the game with a homer to right.
In the ninth, a Washington U. clutch base hit scored a runner from third to provide the Bears with their first lead of the game. Greenville loaded the bases with one out in the eighth and ninth innings, but the WUSTL reliever got the Panthers to ground into an inning-ending double play each time.
On the mound, Greenvilles Wes Letiza was dealt the loss, pitching one inning with one earned in relief.
Game two opened with a fury of offensive production from the Panthers. GC totaled five runs on six hits with four different batters delivering an RBI. GC scored twice more in the third and fourth to grab a promising 9-4 lead over WashU.
However WUSTL would find their groove at the plate, tattooing the Greenville bullpen in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings for eight runs on nine hits to edge past the Panthers in another late inning heartbreaker 12-10.
At the plate Cole Lawson spearheaded the Panthers efforts in the loss with a 3-for-3, three RBI performance.
Greenvilles Cody Chain was charged with his first loss of the season, surrendering three earned on five hits in the ninth.
Greenville Baseball falls to 0-4 against Washington University in 2011, while dropping to 2-13 on the season.
The GC club will be back at it on Monday, April 4, as they travel to SLIAC foe Eureka College to take on the Red Devils in an afternoon double-header.
