Panthers suffer loss to Alba-Golden, 9-5

PARIS — The North Hopkins Panthers dropped their second consecutive district game Friday following a 9-5 loss to the Alba-Golden Panthers at Chisum High School. Despite getting off to a strong start, North Hopkins couldn’t sustain it, as Alba-Golden came out on top.

The game was originally supposed to be played at North Hopkins High School, but was moved the Chisum High School due to wet field conditions.

Alba-Golden stepped up to the plate first, where they faced Kameron Jenkins on the mound. The first inning started with a ground out. After that, Alba-Golden gained two base runners on an error and a single.

On the next at-bat, an RBI single brought home a run, giving Alba-Golden a 1-0 lead. From there, a pop out and a strikeout ended their turn.

The bottom of the first inning started with Isai Franco grounding out. After Hudson McFarlin hit a double, Adin Godbolt brought McFarlin home with an RBI double, tying the score at 1-1.

Jenkins then hit a single on the next at-bat, followed by Griffen Arms striking out. Later on, Godbolt scored on a steal of home, giving North Hopkins a 2-1 lead.

This was followed by Junior Reyes hitting a single. Unfortunately, the inning ended when Reyes was caught stealing second base.

The second inning started with a pair of walks. After Jenkins struck out the next two batters, an error would lead to a run, as Alba-Golden tied the score at 2-2. A fly out on the next at-bat ended their turn.

North Hopkins would go down in order during the bottom of the second inning, as Mac Conner grounded out, and both Hagan Woosley and Buddy Stelts struck out.

The third inning kicked off with a pair of singles. A sacrifice bunt would then bring home a run, as Alba- Golden pulled ahead 3-2.

Following a walk, a fly out was the result of the next at-bat. Despite this, Alba-Golden scored after a runner tagged up, extending their lead to 4-2. Their turn would end soon after on a strikeout.

The bottom of the third inning began with Franco reaching base on an error. Later on McFarlin hit a fly ball for an out, but Franco scored after tagging up, trimming the deficit to 4-3.

North Hopkins then gained a pair of runners after Godbolt walked and Jenkins hit a single. However, consecutive outs followed after Arms hit a pop fly ball for an out and Reyes struck out, bringing the third inning to a close.

For the fourth inning, McFarlin relieved Jenkins on the mound. The inning would start a walk. After that, an RBI double brought home a run, as Alba- Golden extended their lead to 5-3.

Following a ground out, an error would lead to another gained runner. A fielder’s choice followed, which led to another run, bringing the score to 6-3. A ground out on the next at-bat ended Alba-Golden’s turn.

The bottom of the fourth inning began with Conner hitting a pop fly ball for an out, and Woosley striking out. After that, North Hopkins gained two runners when Stelts walked and Franco reached on an error. Their turn would then end after McFarlin struck out, ending the fourth inning.

Alba-Golden would go down in order to start the fifth inning following a pair of strikeouts and a ground out.

The bottom of the fifth inning started with Godbolt being walked. After Jenkins lined out, Arms would hit a double. In the same sequence, Godbolt was tagged out advancing to third base.

Following a single by Reyes, Conner hit an RBI single, bringing Riker Berry, who was pinch running for Arms, home and cutting the score to 6-4. The inning ended after Woosley struck out.

The sixth inning began with a single and a walk. After a fly out and a ground out, an error would lead to a pair of runs, as Alba-Golden extended their lead to 8-4. A ground out followed, ending their turn.

The bottom of the sixth inning started with Stelts and Franco striking out. Though a runner was gained after McFarlin was hit by a pitch, Godbolt would hit a fly ball for an out on the next at-bat, bringing the inning to a close.

The seventh inning started with a single. After a pair of pop outs, an RBI single led to another run, bringing the score to 9-4.

After a single, the runner was caught stealing second base, ending their turn.

The bottom of the seventh inning started with Jenkins hitting a single. The bases themselves loaded up after Arms walked and Reyes reached base on an error.

Two outs followed when Conner and Woosley struck out. Berry walked on the next at-bat, bringing Jenkins home and cutting the score to 9-5.

Unfortunately, Franco grounded out on the next at-bat, ending the game.

As a team, North Hopkins batted 9 for 28 (.321) from the plate. Jenkins would lead with three hits. Reyes added two hits, while Arms, Conner, Godbolt, and McFarlin recorded one hit each.

Berry, Franco, Godbolt, Jenkins, and Mc-Farlin all scored one run each.

Jenkins suffered the loss on the mound. Across three innings, he conceded four hits, four runs, and three walks, striking out four batters. In four relief innings, McFarlin allowed five runs, four hits, and two walks, notching two strikeouts.

With the loss, the Panthers dropped to 0-2 in district and 5-6 overall. They resumed action Tuesday, traveling to Detroit to face off against the Detroit Eagles.

Kameron Jenkins (33) takes a big cut off of a pitch during the Panthers' game against Alba-Golden at Chiusm High School Friday. Jenkins batted 3/4 and scored a run in the Panthers' 9-5 loss. Photo by DJ Spencer