PC roundup: Panthers have ‘good experience’ in Tennessee

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The Putnam County baseball team split a pair of games Saturday at the MidSouth Classic in Millington, Tenn.

The Panthers (4-6) lost their first game 10-0 to Munford before bouncing back for a 6-5 win over Dyersville.

The Panthers finished with a 1-3 tournament record.

Overall, it was a good experience, PC coach Chris Newsome said.

“We went 1-3 and played some really big schools and saw the arms I wanted our hitters to see,” Newsome said. “Our pitchers were challenged with some deeper lineups than what we typically see from schools our size. We had guys perform really well and some that didn’t play their best ball so we came away from the experience knowing where we need to improve and where we need to keep performing well.

“Friday saw some really bad weather down there, but thankfully we weren’t impacted where we were staying. Overall, the Memphis trip was a good experience for our guys.”

Against Munford, Austin Mattingly, Nicholas Currie and Ryan Hundley each had a hit, while Troy Petty took the loss on the mound.

The Panthers built a 6-2 lead against Dyersville before holding off a rally in the final inning.

Lucas Wiesbrock was 1 for 2 with two runs and an RBI, Dylan Busch went 1 for 2 with an RBI and Mattingly doubled and scored a run.

Mattingly earned the win on the mound, allowing two runs on two hits with four strikeouts and two walks in five innings.

Hundley pitched the final inning, giving up three unearned runs on four hits.

Mundelein 9, Putnam County 1: Jackson McDonald had the Panthers’ lone hit and drove in the Panthers’ only run in a 9-1 loss to Mundelein on Friday.

McDonald took the loss on the mound against Mundelein, the Illinois Class 4A runner-up in 2022.

Andrew Pyszka was hit by a pitch and scored the lone run for Putnam County (3-5). Pyszka also pitched one inning, allowing one run on two hits with two strikeouts and no walks.

Christian Brothers 5, Putnam County 2: Andrew Pyszka had a triple and double for the Panthers’ only two hits in a loss at the MidSouth Classic in Memphis on Thursday, March 30.

Nicholas Currie threw a complete game for Putnam County (3-4), allowing five runs (two earned) on six hits with five strikeouts and three walks.

Putnam County 8, Midland 7: The Panthers scored seven runs in the sixth inning to rally for a victory in their Tri-County Conference opener on March 28 in Varna.

Nicholas Currie doubled twice, scored a run and drove in a run for PC.

Pyszka earned the win in relief, allowing one unearned run on no hits with four strikeouts and no walks in 1 1/3 innings, while Troy Petty picked up the save as he struck out three batters in a scoreless inning.

SOFTBALL

Putnam County 16, Midland 1 (5 inn.): The Panthers exploded for nine runs in the third inning on the way to a 16-1, five-inning rout of Midland in a Tri-County Conference game on Tuesday, March 28 in Varna.

Paxton Stunkel tripled and scored three runs and drove in a run, while Maggie Richetta also had three RBIs and a run.

Kylee Moore, Reise Zellmer and Sarah Johnson each doubled and drove in two runs, while Tori Balma was 2 for 3 with two RBIs and a run.

Kara Staley earned the win in the circle for PC allowing one hit with four strikeouts and one walk in three scoreless innings.

Putnam County 17, Midland 0 (4 inn): The Panthers scored nine runs in the first and eight in the third en route to a Tri-County Conference victory in Granville on Thursday, March 30.

Valeria Villagomez went 3 for 3 with a triple, three RBIs and two runs for PC (5-0, 2-0 TCC), while Kylee Moore went 2 for 2 with a double, three RBIs and two runs.

Paxton Stunkel threw a two-hit shutout with four strikeouts.