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Panther pitching shuts down Hounds
Combined no-hitter highlights SEC sweep of Fort Madison
MT. PLEASANT — Payton Walker and Zach Newton combined for a no-hitter in Game 1, and Ben Newton dealt in Game 2 as the Mt. Pleasant baseball team stayed atop the Southeast Conference standings with two wins on Monday night.
The Panthers shutdown the Bloodhounds 10-0 in Game 1 and 11-3 in Game 2 to move to 10-3 in league play, the same mark as co-leader Fairfield.
“We played a lot better defensively, and I thought we hit better at times,” said Mt. Pleasant head coach Brent Broeker. “Fort Madison isn't a bad team. It was a good two wins for us.”
After three scoreless innings early on, Mt. Pleasant hung up eight runs in the fourth inning and one each in the fifth and sixth.
Walker threw five innings, giving up just five walks, while striking out four batters.
“If I try to hard, I tend to throw balls,” said Walker after the game. “I just threw it in there and tried to let him hit it.”
Newton, who came in to finish out both games, only faced three batters the final inning of Game 1.
“It’s pretty cool,” said Zach Newton. “I didn’t do much, but I had to close it out.”
Zach Newton was 2-for-3 with two RBIs in the win. Cooper Colemn went 1-for-4 with game-ending double and two RBIs. Ben Newton was 3-for-3 with an RBI. Payton Hagans had a triple and an RBI, and both Brayton Hutson and Payson Coleman knocked in one.
In Game 2, Ben Newton threw six innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on six hits and three walks, while striking out nine batters to pick up the win.
Fort Madison had cut a 4-0 lead in half, at 4-2 going into the bottom of the fourth, but a four-run frame for the Panthers helped Mt. Pleasant run away.
J.C. Sitar was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs in Game 2. Ben Newton and Carson Andreasen knocked in two runs each. Hutson and Walker each had two hits and an RBI, and both Zach Newton and Cooper Coleman each knocked in one.
Mt. Pleasant is now 17-5 overall and 10-3 in conference play. The Panthers will play at Fort Madison (8-15, 4-7) on Thursday night.
