No. 4/5 LaGrange ran its winning streak to 12 games with a sweep of a doubleheader against Hampden-Sydney on Saturday at Cleaveland Field in Williamson Stadium.
The Panthers (26-2) used a three-run eighth inning to win the first game 5-2. In the second game, LC used three home runs to power a 9-3 victory to complete the sweep.
Hampden-Sydney (13-10) tied the first game 2-2 with two unearned runs in the seventh off starter Andrew Weekley.
The Panthers broke the tie in the eighth. Blane Swift tripled to lead off the inning and scored on a wild pitch. Joe Pradat added an RBI single and James Poropatic capped the inning with a run-scoring double, his third hit of the game.
Jonathan Fleckenstein (5-1) relieved Weekley in the seventh to get the final out. He retired the Tigers in order the last two innings to close out the win.
In the second game, the Panthers hit three home runs in a game for the first time since the 2011 season. Blake Butcher's three-run bomb in the first inning jumpstarted the Panthers. Butcher had two home runs in the three-game series and leads the team with five.
Poropatic led off the fourth inning with his first collegiate home run to make it 6-0. After the Tigers had cut the lead to 6-3, Swift hit a two-run shot to left center in the sixth. For Swift, it was his third home run in the last five games.
Richie Post pitched five innings, allowing an unearned run to up his record to 2-0. Austin Perez threw three scoreless inning to get his first save of the season.
The Panthers play at seventh-ranked Birmingham-Southern on Tuesday.
