BASEBALL: Panthers come up short in shootout with Lions

The Lions were two outs away from a short-game win up 18-7 in the bottom of the fifth inning at Pinckneyville when the Panthers eventually fought all the way back to within two before their comeback bid fell short in the 19-17 loss to Carterville.

A hit batter, an error and four walks turned three Lions hits into eight runs in the top of the first inning. Pinckneyville chipped away a couple runs in the bottom of the second only to see the Lions plate four after a home run by Blake Hicks in the third to make it 12-2.

Trent Hicks cranked a grand slam for the Panthers in the bottom of the third to bring Pinckneyville closer at 12-7, but the Lions answered with three more in the top of the fourth - all coming from runners who reached base with a free pass. PCHS hurlers walked a total of eleven Lions batters in the game.

Another walk crossed home plate in the fifth for the Lions, in addition to two more runs after a string of base hits.

But PCHS fought back from the eleven-run deficit with a six-run rally in the bottom half of the fifth inning. Hicks added his second homer of the day, this one a two-run shot. Five straight hits followed Hicks' round tripper - singles by Clayton Houghland, Brian Kling and Jackson Brand and doubles by Cole Bigham and Miles Chandler, and the Panthers trailed 18-13.

It was 19-13 entering the bottom of the seventh when PCHS got walks from Brand and Tyler Rulevish, singles by Chandler and Hicks, and a double from Adam Banach to scratch their way to within two before the rally was put to an end.

Chandler (3-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, BB), Luke (1-3, 2 R, 2 BB), Banach (1-5, R, RBI, 2B), Hicks (4-5, 2 R, 6 RBI, 2 HR), Houghland (1-5, 2 R, RBI), Kling (1-4, 2 R, BB), Bigham (1-4, R, 2B) and Brand (2-3, 3 R, 2B, BB) had Pinckneyville's fourteen hits.

The Panthers (7-13, 2-6) will try to stop their six-game losing streak when they host Du Quoin (12-9, 5-3) on Tuesday.