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Panthers take down Indians again

DU QUOIN - The Pinckneyville High School baseball team was able to do something rare on Tuesday when it won in walkoff fashion on rival Du Quoin's own field.

The game was moved to Du Quoin due to wet field conditions in Pinckneyville and the Panthers were allowed to remain the home team on the scoreboard.

Pinckneyville had two outs and two strikes on that scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh when Grant Jausel hit a roller to short, hustled his way to an infield single and subsequently produced the winning run in a 6-5 victory.

Du Quoin reliever Slade West should've been out of the inning unscathed - twice.

Brad Kurtz, who had reached on a two-out error, broke for home on Jausel's hit and looked to be a dead duck when Du Quoin first baseman Tevin Lee threw to catcher Ashton Smith, but Smith dropped the ball and Kurtz slid underneath to end another dramatic SIRR Mississippi Division game.

Eight days earlier, Pinckneyville (7-9, 4-4) was down to its last out against the same Indians (12-6, 5-4) but tied the game in the seventh and eventually won in 10 innings with Kurtz scoring the final run then, too.

"It's weird," said Pinckneyville coach Bill Segelhorst. "It seems like every game that we play we're always trying to claw and fight back. But like last time we were here, we showed our toughness."

The Panthers jumped in front 5-2 in the third inning with four runs against Du Quoin starter Hank Stewart, including home runs from Tyler Rice and Austin Alspach that were followed by consecutive hits from Kurtz, Kyle Kreger and Isaac Hardin.

"Hank had some pitches elevated and they had a good approach at the plate and took advantage," said Du Quoin coach Kyle Geiger. "They drove them into the gap and hit a couple out. He just got up in the zone a little bit and we need to get him back down."

The Indians tied the game in the top of the seventh after pinch-hitter Charley Mercier doubled, moved to third when Kyle Donoghue reached on a dropped third strike that was thrown into right field and then scored on a wild pitch.

Jausel struck out Lee and Stewart to strand Donoghue at third base. The hit by Mercier was just Du Quoin's second of the game against Pinckneyville hurlers Hunter Clark, Kreger and Jausel.

"You can't win with two hits," Geiger said. "They hit the ball. They hit in both games we played them. They spread it out all over the field. We just got back on our heels.

"We stayed in it but we didn't execute and the little things can affect the game."

Rice, Kurtz and Kreger all had two hits for the Panthers.

Brad Kurtz checks with the umpire as Du Quoin catcher Ashton Smith reaches for the baseball. Justin Walker Photo
Alex Zimmerman Justin Walker Photo
Charley Mercier doubles in the seventh inning. Justin Walker Photo
Charley Mercier ties it in the seventh. Justin Walker Photo
Ethan Bowen Justin Walker Photo
Kyle Kreger Justin Walker Photo
Hank Stewart Justin Walker Photo
Austin Alspach and Bill Segelhorst Justin Walker Photo
Austin Alspach Justin Walker Photo