Beat Celeste 8-3
NORTH HOPKINS — The North Hopkins Panthers hosted a pair of games Saturday, first taking on Celeste then playing Tom Bean.
Geoffrey Stewart got the game started with a quick 1-2-3 inning, getting a ground out, a fly out and strike out. The Panthers took no time getting their bats rolling, as leadoff man Jessie Rivera was able to reach base on an error. North Hopkins used the momentum to put up a 7-run first inning.
Celeste answered back immediately, getting a pair of runs in the top of the second inning and another in the third, to make the game 7-3.
In the bottom of the third inning, Brycen Gillespie was able to draw a one out walk. Gillespie stole second on the next at bat and would steal third and home, making the Panthers lead 8-3.
Stewart earned the win, throwing a 6-inning shoutout. Stewart allowed just three hits and three runs, only one of them earned, while striking out seven.
Rivera was the one Panther with a multi-hit game, going 2-4, while knocking in one RBI. Gavin Buccieri, Robert Perry, Easton Lewis and Gillespie each had one RBI as well.
After their 8-3 win over Celeste, North Hopkins took on Tom Bean, who opened the game with a 2-run top of the first. The Panthers answered back with Kevin Clement singing to bring in Rivera.
Tom Bean posted another pair of runs in the top of the third, and North Hopkins was forced to play from behind for most of the game.
The Panthers took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the sixth, when they had a huge 4-run inning. Headed into the top of the seventh with an 8-7 lead, Clement allowed three runs in the inning and earned the loss as the Panthers went down, 10-8.
Gillespie started the game, going 3.1 innings pitched, allowing five runs on five hits and three walks. Gillespie also had a great day at the plate, going 3-3 with a pair of RBIs. He also walked once and scored three times.
The Panthers will play again this weekend in the Lindsay tournament. Coverage of those games will be published in upcoming editions of the News-Telegram.