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By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

PELHAM – The Pelham Panthers used a stellar offensive performance to overwhelm the Pike Road Patriots 11-6 on Saturday, March 8.

Pelham opened the game scoring three runs in the first inning and never looked back, holding a 9-0 lead until the bottom of the sixth when Pike Road finally got on the board.

Andrew Petrock was solid on the mound for the Panthers, pitching five innings of shutout ball behind four strikeouts. Samuel Tolbert and Mason Six each pitched one inning to preserve Pelham’s lead.

Dylan Smith began the Panthers’ offensive rampage with an RBI single that brought in Six in the first inning, breaking the scoreless tie. Pelham was not done in the first, because after that, Tolbert reached on an error that brought in a run and Ryan Hurd followed that up with an RBI single that made it 3-0.

The Panthers picked up right where they left off in the top of the second inning as Petrock helped his cause with an RBI single to make it 4-0. In the top of the third, Tolbert scored on an error by Gunner Gibbs, further adding to Pelham’s commanding lead.

Both offenses remained quiet until the top of the fifth when the Panthers exploded for four runs. JP Anderson hit a sacrifice fly that was immediately followed up by a Taylor Hall two-run double to increase the lead to 8-0. An error by the Patriots catcher brought in Hall to make it 9-0.

After two runs from Pike Road in the bottom of the sixth, Pelham responded with two runs of their own in the top of the seventh. Jett Hopwood hit an RBI double that brought in Hall before Six hit an RBI single to bring in Hopwood two batters later.

With the score at 11-2, the Patriots tried to muster an improbable comeback in the bottom of the seventh. Six allowed four runs on the mound to make it interesting, but he slammed the door and delivered the Panthers the victory.

Pelham would go on to lose its Tuesday, March 11 game to Mountain Brook by a score of 11-3.