Baseball Panthers hold off Rebels, 8-5
Published 12:00 am Friday, April 18, 2003
NEW RICHLAND &045; After lop-sided victories over two of the lesser talented teams in the Gopher Conference, NRHEG baseball coach Jeff Reese was anxious to see what his Panthers could do against one of the favorites.
&uot;We just didn’t know where we were at,&uot; said Reese. &uot;It’s fun to play good competition.&uot;
They got it Thursday with United South Central, which moved from the larger South Central Conference this year, and they handed the Rebels an 8-5 loss at New Richland’s Legion Field.
&uot;We knew USC had some good athletes coming in,&uot; said Reese. &uot;It’s a good win.&uot;
It was the fifth win in six games for the Panthers, who improved to 4-1 in the conference.
Adam Warnke was the leader, going 4-for-4 with a double. Andy Wenzel was 2-for-2 with a double. Jasey Reese and Zak Tracy both drove in two runs with singles. Joey Balfe tripled. Jason Churchill had a bunt single.
Mike Hullopeter was the winning pitcher, with 2 2/3 of relief by Brady Hullopeter.
Trevor Haugh was 3-for-4 with a double for the Rebels. Mike Soma was also 3-for-4, David Neubauer 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Adam Schrader had USC’s other hit. Brandon Haugh took the pitching loss.
&uot;We executed well,&uot; said Coach Reese. &uot;It was one of those games where things kind of fall into place for you, and they had some crucial errors too.&uot;
The Panthers host their annual invitational Saturday and host Lake Crystal Wellcome-Memorial Monday.
USC: 000
140
0 &045; 5
9
4
NR: 021
500
x &045; 8
10
2
WP &045; Mike Hullopeter
LP &045; Brandon Haugh