BEREA, Ky. - LaGrange pounded Berea 17-0 and 17-5 in a USA South doubleheader Friday. With the sweep, the Panthers improved to 16-12 on the season and 6-5 in conference play. Berea (2-22, 0-11 USA South) saw its losing streak reach 18 games.
The Panthers had 34 hits in the doubleheader, 19 coming in the first game. They had 11 doubles, three triples, and two home runs. The 17-0 first game was the largest shutout win since defeating Rust 18-0 in 2005.
Game 1- The lower half of the Panthers' lineup accounted for 12 runs, 12 hits, and 10 RBIs. Austin Jones was a perfect 4-for-4, with two doubles, scored three runs and drove in two more. Dawson Weaver had three hits, scored four runs, and had three RBIs, while James Poropatic had a triple included in his three hits, and had three RBIs. Nick Fink had his second home run of the season. The Panthers led 7-0 after three innings. They broke the game open with six in the sixth and four more in the seventh to end the game on the 12-run mercy rule. Richie Post (3-2) started and went six innings to pick up the win. Gibson Bittner closed out the game with a scorless seventh.
Game 2- Berea lead 3-1 after four innings. LC took the lead with a four-run fifth inning as Poropatic had an RBI triple and McKinley Erves added a run-scoring double. The Panthers broke the game open with a 10-run explosion in the sixth. Jacob Gassert had a triple to drive in the first run of the inning, then capped the outburst with a two-run home run, his second of the season. Gassert finished with three hits, scored four runs, and the three RBIs. Erves, Rhett Mixon, and Jackson Patrick all had three hits. Colin Barrett (5-3) allowed two earned runs in five innings. Austin Perez gave up two runs in two innings of work. Zach English threw a scoreless eighth inning to end the game on the 12-run mercy rule.
The three-game series ends Sunday.
