Pekin baseball wins 10-inning marathon

WAPELLO ? It might not have been Pekin coach Jeff Eeling?s idea all along, but he knew if his team could get to the 10th inning Monday, they?d earn another ?W.?

After battling to a 3-all tie following seven innings and a 4-all tie after nine, the Panthers exploded for a six-run 10th inning to escape Wapello with a 10-4 win.

Pekin faced Wapello starter Gage Carpenter, who Eeling called one of the best pitchers in the conference, for those first nine innings, but Carpenter was taken out in the 10th due to Iowa High School rules that state a pitcher may only throw nine innings.

?I thought if we can knock him out of the game we?ll win,? Eeling said of Carpenter. ?Once we got by him that?s exactly what happened.?

Graham Wittrock and Tater Clubb opened the crucial 10th with a pair of doubles, and Tyson Lamb put an exclamation point on the big inning with a three-RBI double.

Pekin starter Josh Sterling threw right with Carpenter for those nine innings, striking out 14 and surrendering three hits; he allowed four runs but two of them were unearned. Clubb earned the save in the bottom of the 10th inning, fanning two Indians in one frame of relief.

Lamb led the 12-hit attack with three hits and three runs knocked in. Wittrock and Clubb were 2 for 5 with one double each, and Bailey Donovan finished with a home run and two RBI. Sterling had two hits, including one triple.

With the win, the Panthers even their record to 10-10 overall and 7-3 in the Southeast Iowa Superconference north division.

Pekin hosts Columbus Junction today for Little League Night.

Pekin @ Wapello

Pekin ? 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 6 ? 10 12 4

Wapello ? 1 0 1 0 0 010 1 0 ? 4 3 3

PEKIN ? Lamb 3-5, 2B, 3RBI; Wittrock 2-5, 2B; Clubb 2-5, 2B; Donovan 2-5, HR, 2RBI; Sterling 2-5, 3B, RBI; Slaney 1-4, RBI

Pitching ? Sterling (W) 9 INN, 4R, 2ER, 3H, 14K, 4BB; Clubb (S) 1 INN, 2K, BB