Pekin drills Winfield for 16 runs

PACKWOOD ? Visiting teams, beware: The baseball is as big as a meteor to the Panthers right now.

One day removed from routing Winfield-Mount Union with 16 runs, the Panthers blasted New London to the tune of 16 more runs Wednesday in Packwood. Pekin won the shortened, three-inning contest 16-0.

The Panthers tallied 12 hits in the contest, scoring two runs in the first before opening the floodgates with eight more in the second and a final six in the third inning.

?We hit the ball real hard last night, and we weren?t swinging at a lot. We?re not second guessing ourselves,? said Pekin head coach Jeff Eeling. ?For guys like Tater [Clubb], Graham [Wittrock] and Bailey [Donovan] the ball is looking very big to them right now.?

And perhaps no Panther is seeing the ball better now than the junior Wittrock, who went 4-4 with a double and two RBI Wednesday. In the last two games, Wittrock has gone 7-8 from the plate.

Clubb was 2-3, including a moonshot home run over the fences, and knocked in three runners. Donovan went 2-3 with a double and four RBI. Derek Morales was 2-3 with one RBI, Wyatt Sharp had one base knock for an RBI, and Colton Swanson had two RBI.

Junior starting pitcher Seth Jensen tossed the three-inning shutout, fanning two batters and allowing two hits and two walks.

?Seth went into the offseason and worked hard,? said Eeling. ?I expected him to do a good job last night, and even though there were tough pitching conditions he handled himself well on the mound.?

The Panthers (2-1, 1-1 SEISC north) will host Albia tonight.

Pekin vs. New London

NL ? 0 0 0 ? 0 2 3

PEKIN ? 2 8 6 ? 16 12 2

PEKIN ? Wittrock 4-4, 2B, 2RBI; Clubb 2-3, 2B, 2RBI; Donovan 2-3, 2B, 4RBI; Morales 2-3 RBI; Sharp RBI; Swanson 1-4, 2RBI

Pitching ? Jensen (W) 3 INN, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 K