LaGrange blanked Nichols 5-0 at Cleaveland Field in Williamson Stadium on Friday night. The Panthers (8-0) continued their hot start to the season with the win over the Bison (0-1), who were playing their season opener.
Five LC pitchers combined for a four-hitter. It was the Panthers' first shutout since blanking Maryville 13-0 last season. Baley Coleman (3-0) went six innings, surrendered two hits, walked none, and struck out five. He lowered his ERA to 0.61. Jacob Brown, Tanner Chafin, Stephen Bartolotta, and Jack Richards followed Coleman. Richards struck out the side to close out the game in the ninth.
The Panthers had 10 hits in the game. McKinley Erves and Joe Ruth had two hits and an RBI each. Erves had a triple and Ruth a double included in their hits. Jorge Fragoso had two doubles and scored twice. Jack Layrisson had an RBI double.
In the first inning with two outs, Ruth and Layrisson had back-to-back doubles to give LC an early 1-0 lead. The Panthers scored twice in the third to go up 3-0. Erves led off with a triple to the wall in center and came home as Ruth ground out to second. Layrisson walked, stole second, and came home on Cael Chatham's base hit to left center for the second run.
LC added single runs in the fourth and sixth innings. Erves' two-out single in the fourth scored Fragoso, who walked to lead off the inning. In the sixth, Fragoso doubled down the right field line with one out. He later scored on Christian Dyer's RBI bunt single to push the lead to 5-0.
Nichols threatened in the top of the eighth. The Bison got back-to-back base hits off Chafin to start the inning. Chafin gave way to Bartolotta with runners on second and third with two outs. Bartolotta got Ben Jerome to ground to short as Chatham made a nice play to end the inning.
The two teams play a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 2 p.m.
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