Message from Assistant Director of Sports Information Trevor Wenners: Interested in reliving some of the best games at LaGrange College? We are going back and exploring some of the most jaw-dropping wins in Panther athletics' history.
The LaGrange College baseball team ended the abbreviated 2020 season by winning 11 of its final 12 games.
During that run, there were many standout moments.
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| J.R. Robinson led the team with four wins in the 2020 season. |
Right at the top of that list is the Panthers' 4-1 triumph at then-No. 4-ranked Birmingham-Southern on Feb. 16. LaGrange became the first team to defeat Birmingham-Southern during the 2020 season.
Starting pitcher J.R. Robinson threw a stellar game, earning the win in 6 1/3 innings of work. He did not give up any earned runs and only relinquished five hits to a potent Birmingham-Southern lineup. The Boston, Georgia, native found a groove early, retiring the side in order during the first inning.
Robinson was consistent throughout the shortened season, going 4-1 on the mound. He maintained an excellent 1.36 ERA and worked a total of 33 innings in five starts. The 5-foot-9, 185-pound student-athlete struck out 22 batters and only walked six.
Before Robinson stepped foot on the mound, the Panthers' lineup gave him a three-run cushion in the top half of the first. McKinley Erves blasted a one-out, solo home run, and then three batters later, Trey Pearce crushed a two-run single.
Erves kept swinging the bat well in the third, drilling a one-out double to center field. During the ensuing at-bat, Joe Ruth connected on an RBI single, allowing Erves to cross home plate for a 4-0 lead.
Birmingham-Southern scored its lone run in the bottom of the third. Baley Coleman provided the Panthers with 2 2/3 innings of tremendous relief pitching. He earned the save, allowing only two hits and no runs. Coleman, who hails from Hiram, Georgia, had a great command of the zone, throwing 30-of-46 pitches for strikes.
Leading the way in the Panthers' lineup were Erves (2-for-4, 2 runs, RBI) and Ruth (2-for-4, run, RBI).
LaGrange and Birmingham-Southern have played in some must-see baseball games lately. The teams met eight times during the 2019 season, five times in the NCAA Division III Regional Tournament and three times in the regular season. The teams split the eight games, with each going 4-4.
Trevor Wenners can be reached at twenners@lagrange.edu.
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