The Greenville University baseball team started off as one of the favorites to win the SLIAC conference this year. They had a good start to the season early in the year and caught fire in the middle of the season, winning eleven games straight before their streak was broken in the three-game series with MacMurray.
Since then, the Panthers have fallen off the top of the mountain losing four straight games. The Panthers tried to turn their misfortune into a fortune in St. Louis, Missouri, at Kelly field against #13 ranked Washington University Bears.
The Panthers were down early after two innings trailing the Bears 1-0. It didn’t get any better for the Panthers after WashU kept their foot on the gas scoring seven runs in the third to open up a huge 8-0 lead. The Bears were not done as they kept their foot on the gas scoring four runs in the fifth inning and five runs in the sixth to open now a mile lead at 17-0, which would prove to be the final score of the ball game. The Bears had eighteen hits against the Panthers which was their second highest total of the season. The Bears brought their bats to this game as Brendan Hall got them started with a two RBI’s of his own. Sophomore left fielder, Henry Singer also added to the total with two RBIs also. But the second baseman for the Bears, Evan Nagel, arguably had the best hit of the game with a bases-clearing home run in the third that open the flood gates.
The GU pitching staff did not have the performance they expected with starting pitcher Sam Alender only going three innings, giving up eight runs.
Lukas Whitten entered the ball game to limit the damage throwing a scoreless inning of relief. Luke Rushik was the next reliever to try to stop the bleeding going one inning surrendering four runs of his own. Tucker Rappe also got a shot to try and silence the Bear’s bats but also could not get it done giving up five runs with three earned in a half inning of work.
Jacob Cutter also got a shot and performed the best out of all the GU pitchers who took the mound going two and a third of an inning with three walks and two strikeouts. Despite no runs, Greenville did have four hits in the game that came from four different batters- Adam Lamb, Austin Lawrence, Parker Panich and Zach Cameron who all had singles.
The Panther’s losing streak continues as the season gets closer to the end. The Panthers are still in good shape in the SLIAC standing, sitting in second place in the eastern division behind Spalding with a conference record of 12-5 and an overall record of a 20-14.
The Panthers will look to stop their losing woes in a weekend doubleheader against Spalding University which would be the final series of the year before the Panthers are set to host the SLIAC conference the following week in hopes of winning it and playing in the national tournament.
