LCHS Baseball

The Lewis County Panthers hosted the Giles County Bobcats in the opening round of the district baseball tournament on Tuesday, May 2.

Brycen McDonald took the mound top start for the Panthers and worked around a pair of one-out walks for a scoreless first. Sloan Moseley connected on a two-out homerun to deep center to give Lewis County an early 1-0 lead. McDonald again worked out of a jam in the second as the first two Bobcat batters reached, but Lewis County escaped with no damage. The Panthers were retired in order in the home second. In the Bobcat third Giles County had a pair of baserunners with one out but McDonald kept them off the board, and the Panthers missed an opportunity in the bottom half with a runner being thrown out at the plate to end the inning as the Panthers held on to a 1-0 lead through three. It would be the top of the sixth before the score changed as Giles County pushed two across with a walk, a single, and a Panther error that gave the visitors a 2-1 lead. The Panthers would even the score in the home sixth when Bentley Kelsey was hit by a pitch and Mosely singled with one out ahead of an intentional pass to McDonald that loaded the bases. Ethan Ray was hit by a 2-1 pitch to bring home Kelsey to tie the game at 2-2. After a scoreless seventh the game went to extra innings. Steele Moseley came on in relief in the eighth and got two quick outs after hitting the leadoff, but a pair of run scoring singles gave the Bobcats the 4-2 advantage. The Panthers went quietly in the home eighth and took the loss 4-2.

Sloan Moseley had 2 hits, a homerun, a run, and an RBI, Brycen McDonald had 2 hits, Brayden Whitlow a hit, Steele Moseley a hit, Bentley Kelsey a run, and Ethan Ray an RBI. McDonald went 7 innings, allowed 2 runs on 2 hits, walked 5 and struck out 9. Steele Moseley went 1 innings, allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 2 hits.

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The LCHS Panthers traveled to Loretto for the second round of the district tournament and faced the Summertown Eagles. Hayden Jackson drew the start for the Panthers and pitched a scoreless first. The Panthers would take an early lead when Brayden Whitlow reached on a one-out error and scored on a two-out single by Brycen McDonald put Lewis County up 1-0. Jackson worked around a pair of baserunners in a scoreless second, and the Panthers went down in order in the bottom half. After Jackson was perfect in the visitor third the Panthers would add to their lead. Steele Moseley doubled to lead off and Bentley Kelsey was hit by a pitch. Lewis County loaded the bases when Whitlow reached on an error with no outs. Two Panthers would cross the plate on a single by Sloan Moseley, and a third would come across on a fielder’s choice off the bat off Lincoln Brewer and Moseley would cross on a misplayed ball hit by Ethan Ray as the Panthers jumped out to a 5-0 lead after three complete. Jackson again held off the Eagles in the fourth, and the Panthers stranded a runner in scoring position in the home half. A pair of singles started the Eagle fifth, and both would score in the inning to make it a 5-2 game. The score would hold until Summertown came up in their final at bat. Jackson ran into trouble with one down in the seventh with a double sandwiched between a pair of walks. Kelsey came on in relief with the score 5-3 and runners at first and second with one out. After a big strikeout , a wild pitch plated a run and moved the tying run to third. But Kelsey slammed the door with a big strikeout to end the game with the Panthers hanging on for a 5-4 win.

Brycen McDonald had 2 hits and an RBI, Steele Moseley a double and a run, Sloan Moseley a hit, a run, and 2 RBI, Brayden Whitlow a pair of runs, Bentley Kelsey a run, Lincoln Brewer an RBI, and Ethan Ray an RBI. Hayden Jackson went 6 1/3 innings, allowed 4 runs on 7 hits, walked 3 and struck out 2. Bentley Kelsey went 2/3 of an inning for the save and struck out the two batters he faced.

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The LCHS Panthers returned to Loretto for the third round of the district tournament on Thursday, May 4th and a rematch with the Giles County Bobcats.

Bentley Kelsey drew the start for the Panthers and set down Giles County in order in the first. Kelsey led off the bottom half of the first with a single and Brycen McDonald drew a two-out walk ahead of a run scoring double by Lincoln brewer that gave the Panthers an early 1-0 lead. Both teams went down in order in the second. Giles County would take the lead in the third behind a single, a walk, and a hit batter that started the inning and led to two runs as the Bobcats took a 2-1 lead. Both teams were quite for the next three and a half innings as the teams were locked in a 2-1 battle until the Panthers came in for their final at bat in the home seventh. Steele Moseley opened the inning drawing a walk and Brayden Whitlow reached on a walk with one out to bring up the Panther’s three-hole hitter Sloan Moseley. Moseley connected on a 2-1 pitch and drove it deep into the Lawrence County night to walk it off as the Panthers took a dramatic 4-2 win to advance in the district tournament and a date with the Loretto Mustangs in the District Championship game.

Sloan Moseley had 2 hits, a walk-off homerun, a run, and 3 RBI, Lincoln Brewer 2 hits, a double, and an RBI, Bentley Kelsey a hit and a run, Brayden Whitlow a hit and a run, and Steele Moseley a run scored. Kelsey went the distance, 7 innings for the win, and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits while walking 1 and striking out 5.

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The Panthers had a quick turnaround for the District Championship against the Loretto Mustangs as they took the field following the big semi-final win over the Giles County Bobcats on Thursday, May 4th.

Bentley Kelsey started the game with a single and worked his way around the bases and scored on a single from Brayden Whitlow as the Panthers took a 1-0 lead. Whitlow took the mound to start or the Panthers and retired the Mustangs in order in the first. The Panthers went scoreless in the second, and Loretto would get on the board in the home half. A single and a walk started the inning for the Mustangs, and a one-out walk loaded the bases before a hit batter plated their first run. With two down and the Panthers on the verge of escaping, Loretto’s leadoff would crank a grand slam to left that gave the Mustangs a 5-1 lead. Lewis County would get one back in the top of the third when Steele Moseley singled to lead the inning off and scored on a sacrifice fly from Whitlow to make it a 5-2 game. Steele Moseley entered to pitch in the third and the Mustangs would start a big inning. Moseley retired the leadoff but followed with three straight walks that led to a run, and the Panther defense committed a pair of errors that would score two more. With two down in the inning, the Mustangs would plate five more with a pair of walks, a double, and a single to jump out to a 13-2 lead. Brewer led off the third with a single and scored during Braylon Bean’s at bat to make it 13-3. Cayleb Moore came on to pitch in the fourth for the Panthers and gave up a pair of doubles to start, and a single and a two-run homerun with two outs that allowed the Mustangs to stretch their lead to 17-3. The Panthers got one final at bat in the fifth but went scoreless as they lost to the Mustangs 17-3.

Brayden Whitlow had 2 hits and 2 RBI, Bentley Kelsey a hit and a run, Lincoln Brewer a hit and a run, Steele Moseley a hit and a run, and Ethan Ray a hit. Whitlow went 2 innings and allowed 5 runs on 2 hits, walking 2 and striking out 2. Steele Moseley 1 inning allowing 8 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits with 4 walks and a strikeout. Cayleb Moore 1 inning and allowed 4 runs on 4 hits.

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The Lewis County Panthers traveled to Bell Buckle and Webb School for the first round of the Regional Tournament to face the Fairview Yellow Jackets on Saturday, May 13th. The game was originally scheduled for Friday night, May 12th, at Fairview, but due to rainfall the game was moved to Webb School and the entire Regional Tournament would be held there over the weekend.

Bentley Kelsey got things started in the first with a drive off the centerfield wall for a double and Brayden Whitlow walked. Brycen McDonald singled to left with one out to load the bases and a walk to Lincoln Brewer and a run scoring groundout by Ethan Ray plated two runs as the Panthers took a 2-0 lead. Brycen McDonald took the mound for the start for Lewis County and worked around a leadoff single for a scoreless first. Braylon Bean led off the second with a walk and would score on a Whitlow single, and Sloan Moseley followed with a drive over the leftfield wall and the Panthers took a 5-0 lead. It would be the top of the fourth before either team would get on the board again, and it was Sloan Moseley sending a shot over the left field wall for his second two-run homer of the game that made it a 7-0 game. In the fifth the Panthers would add a run again with Brycen McDonald chasing home Whitlow on an RBI single to make it 8-0. McDonald was on point into the final Fairview at bat, holding the yellow Jackets scoreless until a two-run homerun got Fairview on the board, but they would add no more as the Panthers advanced to the Championship game in an 8-2 win.

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Brycen McDonald had 3 hits and an RBI in the game, Sloan Moseley 2 homeruns, a pair of runs, and 4 RBI, Bentley Kelsey a double and a run, Brayden Whitlow a hit, 3 runs, and an RBI, Braylon bean 2 runs, and Lincoln Brewer and Ethan Ray each had an RBI. McDonald went 7 strong innings for the win, allowed 2 runs on 5 hits, walking 2 and striking out 5.

The LCHS Panthers were back at Webb School in Bell Buckle on Sunday, May 14 for the Championship game of the Regional Tournament as they faced the White House-Heritage Patriots.

Hayden Jackson took the bump to start for the Panthers and surrendered 4 hits and a pair of walks as the Patriots jumped out to a 4-0 lead early. Lewis County would strand two in the bottom of the first and be held scoreless. After a scoreless second for both teams, the Patriots would add to their lead in the top of the third. Steele Moseley, who came on in the second for the Panthers, gave up a pair of doubles and a sacrifice fly to start the third as the Patriots plated three to take a 7-0 lead. Both the panthers and the Patriots would not be able to put anything together over the course of the next four innings, each team leaving runners on the bases, until the final at bat for Lewis County. In the bottom of the seventh Bentley Kelsey singled and Logan Graves was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Sloan Moseley singled to bring home Kelsey and, after a walk to Brycen McDonald, Lincoln Brewer brought in Graves when he was hit by a pitch. With bases loaded and one out Hayden Jackson plated two on a fielder’s choice to pull the Panthers to within three at 7-4, but the Panthers saw a scoring opportunity and the game come to an end with a runner being thrown out at the plate as the Panthers fell 7-4.

Bentley Kelsey had 2 hits and a run, Sloan Moseley 2 hits, a run, and an RBI, Hayden Jackson a hit and an RBI, Braylon Bean a hit, Lincoln Brewer a run and an RBI, and Logan Graves a run. Hayden Jackson went 1 inning, allowing 4 runs on 4 hits, walking 1 and striking out 2. Steele Moseley went 6 innings, allowed 3 runs on 6 hits while walking 3.

After the loss to White House-Heritage, the Panthers had to turn around to face the Loretto Mustangs for the opportunity to advance to sub-state.

Lewis County was held to a leadoff walk to Bentley Kelsey in the top of the first. Kelsey took the mound to start for the Panthers and surrendered a leadoff walk that led to the game’s first run as the Mustangs took a 1-0 lead after one. After both teams were held scoreless in the second, the Panthers started to put something together in their third at bat. Lewis County was able to load the bases on two out in the third but came up empty, and Loretto would add to their lead in the home half. A two-out Panther error opened the gates for the Mustangs as a hit batter and a pair of singles would bring hoe three and Loretto took a 4-0 lead. The Panthers left the bases loaded again in the top of the fourth, and Loretto would come up big in the bottom half to pull away. After a leadoff single, Kelsey was able to get two quick outs before Loretto connected on back-to-back doubles and a pair of singles to score four and build a 9-0 lead. The Panthers brought in Ethan Ray to pitch after being kept off the board in the top of the fifth, and Ray would surrender a pair of singles that scored Loretto’s tenth run to end the game as Lewis County’s season came to a close in a 10-0 loss.

Steele Moseley had the lone hit for the Panthers in the loss. Bentley Kelsey went 4 innings, gave up 9 runs (6 earned) on 9 hits with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts. Ethan Ray went 1/3 of an inning, allowed 1 run on 2 hits and struck out 1.