Birmingham-Southern swept a non-conference doubleheader from LaGrange on Saturday in Cleaveland Field at Williamson Stadium. The visiting Panthers (4-0) remained unbeaten with the 9-2 and 8-1 wins. LC dropped to 1-4 on the season. The two teams play again Sunday at Birmingham-Southern beginning at 2 p.m. EST.
Game 1
Birmingham-Southern got two runs in the top of the first off starter Richie Post (0-2). LC got a run back in its half of the inning. Rhett Mixon got a leadoff walk and went to third on McKinley Erves' hit to right. Joe Ruth reached on a fielding error, allowing Mixon to score to make it 2-1.
The visiting Panthers added to their lead with two runs in the fifth. Post finished with allowing four runs on six hits in five innings of work. Birmingham-Southern broke the game open with three runs in the sixth off Michael Menheart and two unearned runs in the eighth off Jeff Norman to build a 9-1 lead.
The Panthers got a run in their half of the ninth. With two outs, Rhett Hebert reached on an error and moved over to third on Mixon's base hit. Erves' single up the middle brought home Hebert to make it 9-2.
Erves and Ruth each had two hits for the Panthers, who had six in the game. Tyler Harris pitched 1-1/3 innings of scoreless relief.
Game 2
The Panthers opened the scoring in the first inning. Mixon led off with a double down the right field line. He went over to third on Adrue Davis' sacrifice bunt. Erves drove in Mixon to put the Panthers up 1-0.
Dalton Brooks started and took the loss for LC. Brooks pitched around two walks in the first, two errors in the second, a walk and hit batsmen in the third. He allowed two unearned runs in the fourth before being relieved by Cal Fuller with one out in the inning.
It stayed 2-1 until the seventh. Birmingham-Southern, held to one hit, scored six runs on five hits off three Panther relievers to take a commanding 8-1 lead. The Panthers were held to just one hit over the final six innings.
Erves had two of LC's five hits. Matthew Becker threw two innings of scoreless relief, striking out two.
