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Washington Evening Journal
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MP baseball upsets Sigourney, drops FM
Panthers run win streak to 4 with home wins
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MT. PLEASANT — The Mt. Pleasant baseball team has now won four games in a row and five of its last six as the Panthers near postseason play.
Mt. Pleasant ran the win streak up to four with a couple of wins at Mapleleaf Athletic Complex. On Wednesday, the Panthers upset the No. 2 (1A) Sigourney Savages, 7-2. One night later, Mt. Pleasant mopped Fort Madison 11-4.
On Wednesday, the Panthers trusted senior Payton Walker to try to slow down a dangerous Savage offense, and that’s exactly what he did. Walker had perhaps his best outing of the season, throwing a complete game and striking out seven Sigourney batters.
“I thought Walker through the best he’s probably thrown since last year,” said Mt. Pleasant head coach Brent Broeker. “He dealt tonight, and our defense played really well.”
The game was tied 1-1 heading into the bottom of the fourth, where Mt. Pleasant loaded the bases and scored three. The Panthers held a 4-1 lead until Sigourney put one more up in the top of the sixth.
With Mt. Pleasant’s lead at 4-2, the Panthers were able to knock three across in the sixth, and Walker went out and closed the deal, earning his squad a huge non-conference victory.
“I just wanted to get the ball across the plate in the first five innings,” said Walker after the game. “I got a little amped when the lights came on. I love being amped. The best I pitch is when I’m amped.”
J.C. Sitar had another nice night offensively, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Cooper Coleman finished 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Griffin Jones and Brayton Hutson both had a hit and an RBI.
Walker did most of his work with his bat one night later, leading the team by going 2-for-3 with four RBIs against Fort Madison. Sitar was once again 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Coleman and Hutson knocked in one each.
Zach Newton went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI at the plate, and picked up the win on the mound. Newton threw a complete game, giving up four runs (one earned) over seven innings, while striking out six batters.
The Panthers are now 17-10 overall. Mt. Pleasant ended the conference season 10-5, good enough for third place in the league.
