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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

MILLBROOK – The Pelham Panthers had one last chance to make a statement before the beginning of area play, and they took full advantage by rallying from an early deficit to take the victory.

Pelham defeated Stanhope Elmore 5-2 on Friday, March 14 on the road, overcoming a 2-1 deficit after the first inning to go ahead for good with three runs in the fifth.

As a result, the Panthers improved to 12-4 on the year as they enter one of their biggest weeks of the season. Pelham will face Helena in the first series of Class 6A, Area 8 play with the Panthers set to host on Wednesday, March 19 at 7 p.m. before traveling to Helena the next night at 7 p.m.

After two of the first three batters of the game reached freely, Dylan Smith put Pelham up 1-0 in the top of the first with an RBI single off a 2-0 pitch to right.

However, some control issues in the bottom of the first led to three-straight walks drawn by the Mustangs. While Andrew Petrock recovered with a pair of strikeouts, an error on the next batter proved costly and led to Stanhope Elmore taking a 2-1 lead.

Petrock settled in from there, not allowing a hit until the bottom of the fourth inning and racking up 10 strikeouts in the process, including three apiece in the second and fourth.

Pelham got back in business in the top of the fifth by drawing walks on the first two plate appearances of the inning. While a pitching change for the Mustangs led to a strikeout, Sam Tolbert drew another walk to load up the bases. Gavin Fitts would then take a four-pitch walk for the fourth free base runner of the first five batters and tie the game at 2-2.

That set up Ryan Hurd to send a single into right and score JP Anderson and Tolbert, taking the lead to 4-2 to erase the one-run deficit from earlier in the inning.

The single proved to be the decisive blow as Tolbert scored again in the top of the seventh to make it a 5-2 game while the Panthers pitching staff closed out the win.

Petrock earned the win with 12 strikeouts in five innings, allowing no earned runs and one hit while working around a pair of unearned runs and four walks. Ryan Funderburk took the mound in the sixth for the two-inning save, pitching a pair of perfect innings and taking a strikeout.

Hurd’s two-RBI single led the way for the offense in a 1-for-3 day for the first baseman.