LaGrange walked off with a 5-4 win over Piedmont on Friday night at Cleaveland Field in Williamson Stadium. The Panthers improved to 8-4 with their third straight win. The Lions dropped to 10-8 with their fourth straight loss.
The game was tied 4-4 going to the bottom of the ninth. Cael Chatham led off the inning with a first pitch line drive single to right off reliever Justin Manus (0-1). Manus came back by striking out the next two batters. E.J. Churchich followed with a opposite field single to right as Chatham headed for third. Churchich got hung up in a run down between first and second long enough for Chatham to make a break for home. The throw to the plate was wild as Chatham scored the winning run.
LC had taken a 3-0 lead after three innings off Piedmont's ace Sam Carpenter. Carpenter entered the game with a 0.53 ERA and had walked only five in 51-1/3 innings, while striking out 70. He would give up a season-high three earned runs, three walks and had a season-low five strikeouts.
In the second inning, the Panthers strung together four hits to grab the lead. Churchich and McKinley Erves opened the inning with back-to-back singles. One out later, David Smigelski's RBI base hit through the left side scored Churchich with the game's first run. Trey Pearce's single to right center brought home Erves to make it 2-0.
The Panthers added to their lead in the third. Joe Ruth singled with one out. With two outs, Jack Layrisson doubled to right center, scoring Ruth from third for a 3-0 lead.
Baley Coleman held Piedmont in check through four innings. In the fifth, after a pair of singles, Scott Lyon homered over the left field fence to tie the game. The Lions scored an unearned run in the seventh for a 4-3 lead. Coleman allowed the four runs, three earned, in his seven innings of work. He walked two and struck out four.
The Panthers came back to tie the game in their half of the seventh. Carpenter quickly retired the first two batters. Ruth kept the inning going with a double and Churchich worked a walk on a full count. Erves battled Carpenter in an nine pitch at-bat. The junior lined the ninth pitch he saw into center field to drive in Ruth with the tying run.
Brett Caneega relieved Coleman to start the eighth. He allowed a walk, sandwiched around a pair of strikeouts before the game was delayed by weather for 30 minutes. After the delay, Spencer Douches (1-0) relieved Caneega and struck out the one batter he faced to end the inning.
Douches retired the Lions in order in the ninth. He struck out two in the 1-1/3 innings he worked to get his first win of the season. In the last 4-2/3 innings, the senior has 11 strikeouts.
The Panthers finished with 11 hits. Churchich, Erves, and Ruth each had two apiece. Rhett Hebert added a double.
The two teams play a doubleheader Saturday. The first game is scheduled for 2 p.m. followed by the second game.
