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March
15th – Huntsville 2, Friendship Christian Academy 0 – The Hunstville Panthers came together
today behind the outstanding pitching of Luke Leeth who pitched 7 innings and tossed a “NO-Hitter”.
Along the way, Luke struck out 14 batters while walking only 2. From there, the defense did their
part to keep the runners from getting home. The contest was a duel of pitchers through five and a half innings when, with the score stalled at 0-0 stalemate,
Andrew Dennis hit a lead-off Solo Homerun to start the bottom of the 6th inning. From there,
Anthony Rapiere followed with a double and Ryan Barnes singled to advance Rapiere to 3rd base. Anthony
then scored on an errant throw to 3rd base giving the Panthers a 2-0 lead going into the top of the 7th
and final inning. Luke returned to the mound and finished off his “NO-Hitter” retiring Friendship
Academy, from the Nashville, Tennessee area, in short order. The Panther offense was lead by Andrew Dennis who hit a solo homerun and a single, Anthony Rapiere
(double), Ryan Barnes (single), Steven Cole (single), and CJ Urban (single). Next up, the Panthers will
play NW Rankin of Mississippi on Tuesday at 11:30am followed by Brewbaker Tech at 2:00pm.
March 13th: Huntsville 8, Spain Park 9 - The Huntsville Panthers was making a huge comeback from a 9-1 deficit and had closed the gap
to 9-8 when Garrett Thornton was called out on a slide into 3rd base. While it clearly appeared
that Garrett had reached the base safely avoiding the tag, the Umpires hastily called him out. This call
ended what could have been one of the Panthers best moments.
Spain Park held a 1-0 lead when they came
to bat in the bottom of the 4th inning and scored 3 runs to stretch their lead to 4-0. The Panthers responded
with a single run in the top of the 5th when Garrett Thornton walked and was driven home on an RBI single by Austin
Hatfield. But Spain Park exploded with 5 runs in the bottom of the 5th padding their lead to
9-1 as the contest moved beyond a scoreless a 6th inning.
The Panthers came to bat in the
top of the 7th trailing 9-1, determined to salvage what had been a disappointing day. Garrett
Thornton and Evan Brindley ignited the Panthers by leading off with consecutive singles. From there, Clay
Holcomb, who had already contributed 2 hits for the game, loaded the bases with a “walk”. Next
up, Steven Cole jump-started the Panthers scoring with a 2xRBI single that closed the gap to 9-4. Then, Spain Park brought
in a lefty pitcher, who could hurl fast pitches, to stifle the Panther rally. But his first task was to
face Anthony Rapiere who, on a 2-2 count, crunched a 3xRBI home run over the left centerfield wall. This
slam narrowed Spain Park’s lead to 9-7. From there, Ryan Barnes and Jordan Cole hit back-to-back singles and Cody Burton walked to load the bases. At that point, Garrett
Thornton returned, for his 2nd at bat in the inning. Once again, Garrett singled, closing the
Panther deficit to 9-8. But, soon after, Garrett was called out while advancing to 3rd base
when it clearly appeared that he had safely slide well under the tag. But instead, the Umpires made one
of their many controversial calls of the day by calling Garrett out – thus ending what could have been an extraordinary
Panther comeback. But that is how it goes – calls can go with or against. This
one wilted the Panthers rally. Even still, the Panther effort was something to take forward.
The Panthers are showing that they have the talent to play exceptional baseball. So, they head on
to Gulf Shores for their final tune up before moving into regional play. Clearly, the Panthers must find
their game this week as regional play is awaiting – just beyond Spring Break.
March 13th:
Huntsville 1, Shades Valley 9 – The
rain and the Sun swamped places every 10 minutes or so, during this entire game. With the Clouds hovering,
they brought a chilly wind along with a light, but steady rain. These chills seemed to freeze the Panthers
as they just couldn’t get things going. Meanwhile, Shades Valley, who had just surprised their Spain
Park host with an upset win seemed to be riding on each cloud.
The Panthers grabbed
a brief 1 run lead in the top of the 1st when Clay Holcomb singled, stole 2nd, and advanced to 3rd
on a balk. Steven Cole hit a sacrifice fly to drive Clay home scoring what turned out to be the Panthers
only run of the day. From there, the Panther offense seemed to be frozen by the chill as the Panthers managed
only 3 hits (2 by Clay Holcomb, 1 by Evan Brindley). But give credit where it is due; they faced an outstanding
Shades Valley Pitcher (W. Lawler) who seemed to be able to toss every pitch 3 inches below the Panther batter’s knees
and 3 inches outside the plate. Nonetheless, the Umpire yelled strike after strike as they felled
to Shades Valley by a score of 9-1. Shades Valley’s, Lawler, may have been the best pitcher the Panthers
have faced all year.
March 11th: Huntsville 12, Athens 2 - The Huntsville Panthers
push their record to 6-5 with their win over Athens last night at home.
Clay Holcomb started on the mound for the
Panthers and did a excellent job allowing only 1 run during 4 innings pitched. Ryan Barnes got the save after he came
in to finish the last two innings.
On offense, Clay also provided much of the spark as he open the Panthers 1st
at bat with a lead off single, then stole bases to 3rd before Anthony Rapiere hit an RBI single that brought him home to get
the Panther scoring started. Austin Hatfield followed with a 2nd RBI single that brought Anthony across the plate to
put the Panthers up 2-0 after one inning.
From there, there the Panther bats were fierce. AJ Cole jump started
a 4 run inning with a solo home run. Next Anthony Rapiere singled and Austin Hatfield followed with an RBI triple that brought
Anthony home.
In the bottom of the 4th, Steven Cole connected on a 2xRBI home run that put the Panthers
up by an 8-1 margin. Later, Danilel Koger, Steven Scrip and Ryan Barnes would each add RBI hits
that expanded the Panthers lead to 12-2. The Panthers will head to Birmingham on Saturday where they
will take on Shades Valley and Spain Park before traveling to Gulf Shores where they will compete in the Annual Gulf
Shores Classic during the Spring Break season.
March 9th: Huntsville 14, Cullman 6 - The Huntsville Panthers refused
to bow to the elements as a steady drizzle of rain came down from the opeing pitch of their game against the Cullman Bearcats. At
one point, the rains grew so intense, after the top of the 5th inning, that the game was halted - momentarily.
But the Panthers returned to close the game out in fine fashion with a final score of 14-6.
Luke Leeth turned in
an excellent performance on the mound as the winning pitcher while giving up only 1 run in 4 innings pitched. Luke
allowed very few Cullman runners on base during in the first 4 innings. In the few cases where Cullman put
the ball in play, the Panther defense rose to the occasion and performed flawlessly. Daniel Koger came in
to relieve Luke after play was resumed from a rain delay and pitched through the 7th inning.
Clay Holcomb opened
the scoring for the Panthers after a leadoff double in the top of the 1st and went on to score the Panthers 1st
run on an RBI by Steven Cole. Clay also hit a second double in the 6th inning that would prove timely
to putting the game away for the Panthers. In addition to Clay and Steven, other Panthers adding hits or RBI's Anthony
Rapiere (2), Ausin Hatfield, Steven Scrip (double), and Ryan Barnes.
March 8th - Huntsville 0, Etowah 5: The Huntsville Panthers dropped their 3rd game in a row
last evening on a road game at Etowah. The Panthers played error free defense, but the Blue Devils of Etowah
seemed to have the knack of hitting the ball where they weren't.
Chandler McCully came into the game during
the 3rd inning facing a 5-0 deficit. Although he couldn't erase the deficit, he pitched an outstanding game striking
out 8 Blue Devils and completely shutting down their offense - thus doing his part to set-up a Panther
rally. But, while the Panthers hit the ball solidly, there seemed to always be a Blue Devil waiting
in great position to make the grab. Panthers getting hits were; Clay Holcomb (single and double), Steven Cole,
AJ Cole (double), Andrew Dennis, Austing Hatfield (double), and Anthony Rapiere. Next up, the Panthers head to Cullman
for a double header (weather permitting).
March 6th: Hoover 14, Huntsville 2 - The Panthers' defense
improved with only 1 infield error, but offense continued to be MIA Saturday evening as Hoover held the Panthers to only
two hits. Anthony Rapiere doubled and Daniel Koger hit an RBI single that drove Anthony Rapiere home.
These were the only two hits for the Panthers, The result, Hoover "Run-Ruled" the Panthers with a 14-2
margin after five innings.
March 6th: Boaz 6, Huntsville 2 - The Panthers fell to a
scrappy Boaz team in a morning game. Boaz grabbed control of the game from the very first inning by executing the
"Bunt and Run" game to perfection. The Panthers helped Boaz with 4 infield errors that kept Boaz on the
field and eventually dug themselves into a deficit that they could not climb out of. Clay Holcomb had 2 hits including
an RBI triple. AJ Cole, Evan Brindley, and Daniel Koger each had one hit.
March 5th: HHS 11,
Haleyville 1 - Luke Leeth provided an equally impressive performance on the mound for the Panthers while allowing
only 1 run on 2 hits by the Haleyville Lions. Austin Hatfield Andrew Dennis contributed key RBI hits that
helped the Panthers build a 5-1 lead. Anthony Rapiere also had an outstanding offensive evening to assist
in the Panther win after going 3 for 3 with a lead off single, followed by an RBI double, and culminated with a 3xRBI homerun
to put the game on ice for the Panthers as they went on to closed out the game in 5 innings.
March 5th: HHS 12, Hewitt
Trussville 1 - In this game, Daniel Kroger turned in a solid performance on the mound for the Panthers, striking out 8 while
giving up only 1 run from only 2 hits. Clay Holcomb lit the offensive fuse with 2 hits including a lead off double
to get things going in the Panthers’ first at bat. Clay scored the first Panther run with an RBI from Steven Cole,
and later returned to blast a SOLO home run that put the Panthers in “over-drive”. Evan Brindley, Steven
Cole, Andrew Dennis, each had doubles. Austin Hatfield hat two hits including an RBI single. AJ Cole hit a 2xRBI triple.
When all the fireworks settled, the Panthers closed the game in five innings after building an 11-1 margin. In this game, Daniel Kroger turned in a solid performance on the mound for the Panthers,
striking out 8 while giving up only 1 run from only 2 hits. Clay Holcomb lit the offensive fuse with 2 hits including a
lead off double to get things going in the Panthers’ first at bat. Clay scored the first Panther run with an RBI
from Steven Cole, and later returned to blast a SOLO home run that put the Panthers in “over-drive”.
Evan Brindley, Steven Cole, Andrew Dennis, each had doubles. Austin Hatfield hat two hits including an RBI single. AJ Cole
hit a 2xRBI triple. When all the fireworks settled, the Panthers closed the game in five innings after building an 11-1
margin. In this game, Daniel Kroger turned in a solid performance on the mound for the Panthers,
striking out 8 while giving up only 1 run from only 2 hits. Clay Holcomb lit the offensive fuse with 2 hits including a
lead off double to get things going in the Panthers’ first at bat. Clay scored the first Panther run with an RBI
from Steven Cole, and later returned to blast a SOLO home run that put the Panthers in “over-drive”.
Evan Brindley, Steven Cole, Andrew Dennis, each had doubles. Austin Hatfield hat two hits including an RBI single. AJ Cole
hit a 2xRBI triple. When all the fireworks settled, the Panthers closed the game in five innings after building an 11-1
margin.
Feb 26-28th: Panthers open 2-2 during "Cold-n-Chilly" road trip
in near freezing temperatures
Game 1 - The Huntsville Panthers got their regular season
off with a 2 and 2 record after wining the first two road games. The opened with a 7-6 win over Gadsden City late Friday
afternoon as Casey Lambert came in to do an excellent job by shuting the game down and preserving the win thus getting credit
for the save. CJ Urban was the winning pitcher who had turned an excellent performance with his Panthers on top 7-4
when he left the mound.
Game 2 - The second game took place in a muggy marsh bottom field at Pell
City in near feezing tempartures. But the Panthers found a way to stall Pell City's rally in the bottom of the 7th
to preserve a 1 run victory.
Game 3 - in this game, the Panthers held the game close through 4
innings, but gave up several runs in the fith inning on a series of infield errors. The Panthers left this game regretting
the mistakes and realising that such break downs can prove costly.
Game 4 - in another cold and
chilled evening, the Panthers pulled together to make a run at beating a good Southside team, but in the end too many calls
went against the Panthers as they fell 4-2 on a very cold evening.
While the Panthers would have liked a more favorable
score, they walked away a better team from what they learned. Next up, the Panthers return home to face Gadsden City on Tuesday.
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