INMAN, S.C. – It was a rematch of sorts from the Sanders Tournament as the Chapman Panthers hosted the Hillcrest Rams on Wednesday evening. A stellar performance on the hill and a pair of multi-run innings lifted the Panthers to a 6-1 victory over the Rams.
Alex LaCoste singled and later scored on a Panther error, which staked the Rams to an early 1-0 lead in the opening frame. A couple of innings later, Chapman answered. Hudson Moss ripped a leadoff double down the left field line in the third, advanced to third base on a Cason Owens bunt single, and crossed home plate on a Kole Brown sacrifice fly. Owens swiped second on a wild pitch and scored on Johann Rodriguez’s single to right-center, which gave the Panthers a 2-1 lead. Rodriguez went 3-for-4 at the plate, while Moss also notched two hits on the night. “I’m just so proud of our guys,” said Chapman head coach Steven Fusaro. “We pitched well and played good defense. Jacob Cogdell was phenomenal, and our lineup battled all night, and had some good at bats. This is Chapman baseball (and) that’s what we do. It was a lot of fun to be a part of tonight.” After Owens drew a leadoff walk in the fifth, Kole Brown launched the first offering he saw over the left-center field wall for a 4-1 Panther advantage at that juncture of the contest. On the evening, Brown was 1-for-2 with three runs batted in. “I was just thinking about being aggressive early in the count,” Brown recalled. “I got a first-pitch fastball, took a good swing, and got a hold of it. We had to keep our heads up and remember that we can play really good baseball if we play how we can play (and) we were able to come back and put up some runs.” The thing I love about Kole for (our team) is that he’s fearless,” Fusaro remarked. “He has a confidence to him that is infectious and he’s one of my favorite people to be around. It’s great to watch how he carries himself (and) his workmanlike attitude. He hasn’t gotten off to the start he’s wanted by everyone else’s numbers, but he’s been so close. I’m super excited and proud for him to be part of our team.” Chapman right-hander Jacob Cogdell was in complete command on the mound, tallying 10 strikeouts and holding the Rams to an unearned run on two hits in a complete game effort. It didn’t take long for the senior to find a groove once the game began. “I was just keeping them off balance, attacking with the curveball and fastball,” stated Cogdell. “I really focus (on each start), think about it, and get ready to go attack and fight. Our guys were battling all night, and, in the end, it all worked out.” Devin Roe and Coleman Gray each added an RBI single in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively, that provided the final margin for the contest. Chapman (7-2) faces a quick turnaround as they travel to Hillcrest for game two of the home-and-home series on Thursday, with a scheduled start time of 7:30 PM. Comments are closed.
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