Principia College Athletics

The Panthers came up empty-handed in their doubleheader this weekend down in Conway, AR, losing 13-4 and 8-5. Despite jumping out to an early lead through the mid-point in Game 1, the Panthers let the game slip away. Free passes to Hendrix hitters proved to be the difference in the game, as Principia walked 8 batters while Hendrix walked only 1 batter. Junior captain’s Matt Bowman and Spencer Brown swung the bats very well. Bowman had a long 3-run homer in the 1^st inning and Brown racked up 4 hits on the day.

In Game 2, sophomore Samuel Thomas stepped up big time on the mound. Samuel went 5 strong innings and should have been in line for the win had it not been for 5 defensive errors behind him. When Thomas left the game, the Panthers were trailing 4-3. Hendrix tacked on 4 more runs before the Panthers answered back in the 7^th on a 2-run monster homerun down the left-field line by sophomore Alan Cheatham.

It was a good showing for the Panthers against a top NCAA DIII team. Last season, Hendrix won their conference and advanced to the NCAA National Tournament. The team now knows that they have the talent to compete with the best. It is a matter of playing consistent baseball for 9 innings day in and day out.