LaGrange staged back-to-back rallies to sweep N.C. Wesleyan on Sunday at Cleaveland Field in Williamson Stadium. The Panthers (5-4, 3-0 USA South) won a wild Game 1 11-10 in 10 innings, then came from behind again in Game 2 for a 6-4 win. The sweep also completed a weekend sweep of the Bishops (2-7, 0-3 USA South).
Game 1
The game was tied twice and featured six lead changes. The two teams combined for 28 hits, 13 walks, and five errors. The Panthers were within a strike of winning the game in the ninth with Spencer Douches (1-1) trying to close out the game for Tanner Chafin. But a two-out passed ball brought in the tying run. In the bottom of the ninth, LC loaded the bases with one out. Joe Ruth lofted a flyball to left as Rhett Hebert tagged at third. Hebert was out at the plate on the throw to end the inning and send the game to extra innings.
The Bishops pushed across an unearned run off Douches in the top of the 10th to take an 10-9 lead. Jack Layrisson led off the Panthers' half of the 10th with a double to right and moved over to third on Trey Pearce's sacrifice. Cael Chatham singled through a drawn in infield to score Layrisson with the tying run. With two outs, Peyton Moseley walked to keep the inning going. Jared Alridge dropped in a hit to right as Moseley took third on the play. Dawson Weaver followed with a line drive single to right, scoring Moseley and giving LC the walk-off win.
The Bishops had built a 6-2 lead going to the bottom of the fifth. The Panthers answered with five runs in their half of the inning to go up 7-6. Chatham's double drove in the first run. Weaver added a two-run single before Joe Ruth's two-out bases loaded hit plated the tying and go-ahead run.
Trailing once again, 8-7, going to the bottom of the eighth, the Panthers pushed across two runs to retake the lead. Pearce's hit up the middle scored Ruth with the tying run. Chatham laid down a safety squeeze bunt as Layrisson came home to put LC up 9-8 heading to the ninth.
Weaver had three hits and three RBIs, while Pearce and Ruth also had three hits. Chatham had two hits, including the double, and also had three RBIs. McKinley Erves reached base in all six of his at-bats. He had a hits, was hit by a pitch three times, and walked twice.
Game 2
The second game started the same as Game 1 with the Bishops grabbing a 2-0 lead. The Bishops scored two unearned runs off LC starter Richie Post in the first inning. Post pitched five innings, scattering four hits, and the two runs. He walked two and struck out three. Post worked out of a major jam in the second. The Bishops put runners on second and third with no outs, but Post escaped the inning without allowing a run.
The Panthers tied the game in the third off Drew Tubb (0-1). The Panthers strung together four straight singles to start the inning. Erves had the fourth hit with the bases loaded driving in two runs to tie the game, 2-2.
The Bishops went up 3-2 in the eighth off Chafin (1-0). In the Panthers' half of the inning, Erves drew a lead off walk and moved up to second on Ruth's sacrifice. Layrisson doubled to left to tie the game and Pearce followed with a double of his own for a 4-3 lead. Moseley added an RBI single and Chatham scored on a wild pitch to up the Panthers' lead to 6-3.
In the ninth, Chafin gave way to Baley Coleman with a run in, two runners on, and no outs. Coleman closed out the game for his third save by getting a double play and fly ball for the final out.
The Panthers had 10 hits, with all but one starter getting one. Weaver had two of the hits. Chatham finished the game with a put out and six assists at third base.
Weather permitting, the Panthers will host Oglethorpe in a non-conference game Tuesday at 7 p.m.
