Panther baseball team drops home games to Muscatine

By Andy Krutsinger,

Mt. Pleasant News

The Mt. Pleasant baseball team dropped a couple of tight non-conference games on Saturday against Muscatine.

The Panthers lost a late lead in game one to fall, 6-4, and couldn?t quite stage a comeback in game two, losing 6-3.

Colby Potts was on the mound in game one, holding the Muskies scoreless over the first five innings. Cooper Huckabone had the first two RBIs of the game and Caleb Potts added one as the Panthers took a 3-0 lead into the sixth inning.

The Mt. Pleasant defense had a rough couple of innings to end the game, giving up three runs in the sixth and three in the seventh. Four of Muscatine?s six runs were unearned.

Trailing 6-3 in the seventh, Zac Ebeling knocked a runner home to make it 6-4. Mt. Pleasant had two on and no out, with the potential winning run at the plate, but a lineout double play and a strikeout stopped the run.

Colby was tagged with the loss, giving up five runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks, while striking out four batters. Bryce Anderson threw one inning and gave up one unearned run on no hits or walks, striking out two batters in the process.

Huckabone finished 3-4 with a double and two RBIs. Pat Canby was 2-2 with three runs scored and a stolen base. Jordan Magnani went 2-4 with a run scored.

It was another tight one in game two. The two teams scored two runs apiece over the first three innings but Muscatine broke out for three in the fourth to make it 5-2.

Mt. Pleasant scored one run in the bottom of the fifth to cut the lead to 5-3, but the Muskies added another in the seventh and held on for a three-run win.

Magnani was on the hill in game two and picked up the loss, throwing six and one-third innings and giving up five runs (two earned) on seven hits and two walks, while striking out five.

Anderson went two-thirds of an inning and gave up one unearned run on two walks and no hits.

Canby went 2-3 with two doubles and two runs scored. Huckabone and Ebeling each went 2-4 with an RBI.

The Panthers fell to 5-7 overall on the season. They will look to hold onto their undefeated SEC record on Thursday, June 8, when they take on Washington in a road doubleheader, beginning at 5:30 p.m.