Panthers rally past Demons

WASHINGTON — Washington and Mt. Pleasant squared off Thursday night in search of their first Southeast Conference win of the season. Despite an early surge by the Demons, it was all Mt. Pleasant the rest of the way, as the Panthers stormed back for a 9-3 victory.

Washington jumped out to a fast 3-0 lead in the first two innings, while holding Mt. Pleasant hitless and scoreless. But the Demons’ offense went quiet after that, and the Panthers slowly seized control.

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Mt. Pleasant got on the board in the third inning thanks to a passed ball, still without a hit to that point. In the fourth, Briar Bender delivered the Panthers’ first hit, a two-out RBI double, sparking a momentum shift.

With the bases loaded, Payton Walker’s grounder resulted in a game-tying run due to an error at shortstop. Mt. Pleasant added two more when Brayton Hutson was hit by a pitch and J.C. Sitar drew a walk, both with the bases loaded, making it 5-3.

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The Panthers, who had just one hit through four innings, ended with six and tacked on four more runs across the sixth and seventh frames to seal the win.

Walker, Hutson, and Sitar each drove in two runs for Mt. Pleasant, while Bender and Griffen Jones chipped in one apiece. On the mound, Walker pitched six strong innings, allowing five hits and three runs (only one earned), with two walks and nine strikeouts.

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For Washington, Mitchell Zieglowsky and Conner Leyden each had an RBI. Pitchers Ethan Peebler and Zieglowsky combined to allow six hits, nine runs (three earned), six walks, and struck out three.

The win moves Mt. Pleasant to 4-5 overall and 1-2 in the conference. Washington falls to 1-5 and 0-3 in league play.

Washington was also in action on Friday. The Demons thrashed Lone Tree on 17-0.