Panthers lose late despite strong outing by England

The Riverside Panthers started their last district series of the regular season Monday night with the Adamsville Cardinals coming to town. The Cardinals took it after a seventh inning three-run bomb to left field which made it 6-4. Freshman lefty Jase England made his first district start of the season and pitched a gem, allowing just four hits, but an unfortunate error led to a home run taking away from a great start by England.

England retired the first six batters in order the first two innings but had a minor hiccup in the third when a walk and hit by pitch led to an RBI hit to give Adamsville a 1-0 lead. Riverside tied the game in the bottom of the fourth when Camden Eason squared up a pitch and sent it over the centerfield fence for a solo shot and 1-1 score. Stone Wallace hit a two-out triple and scored off an error to lead 2-1.

England again retired the side in order in the fifth and the Panthers got something going in the bottom part when Jake Swindle reached on a ground ball and came around to score later on a passed ball to lead 3-1.

The Cardinals singled and walked in the sixth and a passed ball put them both in scoring position. A well placed opposite field single scored both runs and the game was tied 3-3. In the bottom part of the frame with two outs, Ethan Quinn hit an opposite field single that was followed by a walk by Aiden Creasey. A fly ball by Swindle was mishandled by the right fielder and Quinn scored to take a huge 4-3 lead into the seventh.

England struck out the first batter in the seventh and got a 4-3 put out with just one out to go. But an error in the outfield kept the game alive for the Cardinals, and after a single, the three-run bomb followed to get a big 6-4 lead. The Panthers did get something in the bottom part with Cody Brasher reaching on an error and Connor Newberry reaching on an infield hit, but a strikeout ended the threat and the game 6-4.