LaGrange moved to 3-0 in the USA South Tournament with a 12-3 win over N.C. Wesleyan on Friday at Cleaveland Field in Williamson Stadium. The victory puts the Panthers (25-15) into Saturday's championship game at 12 p.m.
The Panthers broke open a tight game with an eight-run eighth inning. Leading 4-3, LC sent 12 batters to the plate in the inning. Rhett Mixon had a two-run single and Jack Layrisson drove in two more with his team-leading seventh triple of the season.
The Panthers' first five batters in the lineup had 10 of their 15 hits. Jacob Gassert was 3-for-3 with three RBIs and a run scored. Layrisson also had three hits, the two RBIs, and scored three times. Mixon was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and three runs scored.
Colin Barrett (6-4) pitched six innings to pick up the win. Zach English followed with two shutout innings, and Tanner Chafin closed out the game with a scoreless ninth inning. In the tournament, the bullpen has 11 shutout innings and has allowed only one inherited runner to score.
