Dalton Brooks and Joe Ruth led second-ranked LaGrange past Maryville 8-1 on Saturday at Cleaveland Field in Williamson Stadium. The win clinched the weekend USA South series for the Panthers, now 29-5 overall and 12-2 in the conference.
Brooks threw his second complete game in his last three starts to improve to 5-0 on the season. He scattered six hits, allowing only a solo home run to Zac Graham, walked four and struck out four.
Ruth went 2-for-4, including a double, and had four RBIs. The run-scoring double in the eighth inning gave Ruth 65 RBIs on the season, breaking Matt Lee's mark of 64 set in 2000.
The Panthers had 15 hits in the game, Rhett Mixon had three hits, scored three runs, and drove in two runs. Ruth, McKinley Erves, Jack Layrisson, Cael Chatham, and David Smigelski all had two hits.
The Panthers gave Brooks all the support he needed with a six-run second inning, five of the runs coming with two outs. The Panthers loaded the bases with no outs. Rhett Hebert singled through the right side to bring home Layrisson, who had led off the inning with a single. Nic Mirabella (3-2) retired the next two batters.
Mixon singled to left, scoring Jared Aldridge and Chatham. Erves followed with an RBI single as Hebert scored the fourth run. A wild pitch moved Mixon and Erves up to second and third. Ruth capped the inning with a single to right, driving in Mixon and Erves to make it 6-0.
Graham got the Scots (22-12, 7-7 USA South) on the board with his home run in the fourth inning. Brooks worked out of a bases loaded jam in the seventh. He retired the Scots in order in the eighth and ninth to finish his complete game. Brooks threw 105 pitches in the game, 65 for strikes.
Ruth drove in the final two runs for the Panthers with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning and the RBI double in the eighth.
The two teams close out their weekend series Sunday starting at 2 p.m. It will be Senior Day for nine Panthers.
For continuing coverage of Panther athletics, stay up to date with our website and follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
