Trevor Phipps
The Panther baseball team has literally come out swinging this season and they may have a chance at a playoff spot. With their star left-handed pitcher Cameron Chase, who recently signed to play college ball at Doane, silencing opponent hitters and displaying impressive stats, the boys have commenced to a stellar start for the season.
On Saturday May 22, the Panthers played their 2021 home opener against the super tough TCA Titans.
The Titans ,who are literally out of the Panthers’ league, dominated most of the game ever since starting pitcher Cameron Chase gave up several runs during the second inning, when he dished out over 40 pitches. The Panthers stared at a 9-0 deficit, and sat close to the mercy rule of 10 runs before they scored four at the end of the game, leaving the final tally at 10-4.
The boys then came back to their home field at the Meadow Wood Sports Complex in Woodland Park last Tuesday, and picked up a league win when they beat Widefield 4-3. With starting pitcher Matthew Lecky, the boys had the lead for most of the game when Lecky got in trouble in the fifth inning, loaded the bases and walked in a run. The coaches then put in Chase who let another run in from a hit, but then closed out the inning with a strikeout.
Last Thursday, the Panthers won another close league game at home against the Coronado Cougars 2-1. Currently, the team has a 4-2 overall record with a 3-1 league record. The only league game they have lost so far this year was when Mesa Ridge beat them by one run in a game that ran 11 innings.
Right now, the Panthers are sitting in third place in their Colorado Springs 4A/5A Metro League.
However, the Panthers do have a better overall record than Mesa Ridge who is in first place and Canon City who is in second. So, if they can beat Mesa Ridge when they play them again on June 7 and beat Canon City twice during the last two games of the season, they could win their division.
Senior outfielder Parker Taranto so far leads the team while at bat with seven hits, three runs and a .389 batting average. Senior catcher Jacob Babin sits right behind Taranto with five hits, five runs, and a .278 batting average.
In pitching, senior lefty Cameron Chase has played the most innings with 27 and has an ERA of 2.33. Senior Matthew Lecky has pitched 15 innings and holds a 1.79 ERA. Junior Tyler Thime has also seen some time on the mound with three innings pitched, giving up six hits and three runs.
This week, the Panthers play three matches starting with an away league game against the 2-6 Coronado Cougars on Tuesday. Then on Thursday, they travel back down the Pass to play the 2-5 Palmer Terrors. This Saturday, the boys play a non-league road game against the 1-2 Manitou Springs Mustangs.
