BREVARD, N.C. - Dalton Brooks' pitching gem gave No. 2 LaGrange a sweep of its USA South doubleheader with a 1-0 win over Brevard on Saturday. The Panthers (23-3, 7-1 USA South) took Game 1 9-1.

Brooks threw a complete game 1-hitter to improve his record to 4-0. He allowed only a lead off single in the seventh inning to Logan Clark. Brooks walked three and struck out 10 in giving the Panther pitching staff its third shutout of the season. It was the first complete game shutout by a Panther since Colin Barrett did it in 2018, also against Brevard. 

Brevard's Nathan Sanders and Cesar Rodriguez held the Panthers to the single run and five hits. Sanders gave way to Rodriguez in the seventh after giving up three hits, walked five, and struck out eight. 

The Panthers got Brooks the only run he would need in the seventh. Rhett Hebert and Gabriel Pallo walked with one out. Rodriguez relieved Sanders and got Rhett Mixon to line out for the second out of the inning. McKinley Erves came up with the clutch hit, sending the ball through the right side to score Hebert for a 1-0 lead. 

After Clark's hit, Brooks retired nine of the last 10 batters he faced. He struck out Frankie Vasquez to end the game. 

The Panthers banged out 13 hits in taking Game 1. Jack Layrisson's three-run home run in the first inning staked LC to a 3-0 lead. Gabriel Pallo's solo home run in the second made it 4-0 and he scored in the fourth on Rhett Mixon's base hit for a five-run lead.

Matt Eden and Hebert had run-scoring singles, while Pallo forced in a run with a bases-loaded walk as the Panthers went up 8-0. Cael Chatham's RBI single in the eighth finished the scoring for LC.

Baley Coleman (6-0) threw six strong innings to get the win. He surrendered the one run, three hits, walked just one, and struck out 10. Hayden Stone finished the game with three shutout innings, giving up just one hit.

The two teams conclude their three-game series Sunday. Game time is 1 p.m.

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