The game began with the very missed Panther player Ethan  the “Big E” Carnes coming to be with his teammates. He came with crutches in hand and a wearing a blue cast. Maybe we can paint it black and gold?

Chase Barnett took the mound for the Panthers Tuesday night.  This time around it appeared that the Cougars were a little more patient at the plate then they were last time that Chase scored a win against them.  Tomball struck first blood in the top of the first with one run scoring on a wild pitch.  Chase blew his usual side winding fast balls for two of the three outs in the first inning.  The Panthers struck back immediately in the bottom of the first with Scott Arthur single, being advancef to third by a Kaleb Goodell’s single and finally rang the bell at home with Garrett Harrison’s sacrifice ground out.

The second inning was like a silent movie for both teams. The top of the third inning Tomball had a man on first and second with one out when Panther catcher C.J. Manning let loose his gun, after a called strike,  to shortstop Scott Arthur.  Arthur quickly gunned down the advancing Cougar with a throw and great “scoop” catch and tag by third baseman Austin Jackson for the second out of the inning.  The third out came with Barnett’s fourth strike out of the game.  KO was again silenced in the bottom of the third, with Tomball pitcher Troy Smith only throwing 13 pitches.

Now let’s talk about the fourth inning; Pitcher Ryan Hudnell takes the rock in the top of the fourth to face only four batters, the last he strikes out.   Another “Gold Star” defensive play was made by Brent McMinn on first base as he defended a shot that very easily could have been a hit, but instead turned away a runner and lit up another out light on the scoreboard.  Offensively in the fourth KO had eleven at bats which produced six runs on two hits. Singles by Andy Wilson and Brent McMinn. Runs scored by Arthur, Harrison, Walker, Wilson, Jackson and McMinn while Manning and Goodell had sacrifices,. In other words everybody contributed to this blow-up inning.

Innings five and six were quiet on both sides, except the Tomball fans made a little racket from time to time.    Ryan pitched a very economical fifth and sixth inning only facing only six batters two of which were strike outs in the sixth.  Another great defensive play was made by Wes Theiss in the fifth inning when Tomball slugger Rose hit a hard ground ball in between first and second, Theiss calls off first baseman McMinn which allowed McMinn to cover first while Theiss ran down the “could be single” and once again threw the Cougar out at first.  There was one offensive play that was of particular interest when Andy Wilson hit one of his 150 mile an hour ground balls to the first baseman who barely fielded the ball near the chalk line behind first base, it ended up being a foot race to the bag [it kind of looked like two locomotives were going to collide]., At the final moment of the race Andy slides head first to beat his man to the bag and put his second hit of the night on the board. The seventh and final inning the Cougars scored two runs on two hits with one man left on base.  Ryan  Hudnall gets a very disserving win. Nice job Panther’s.

Onward and upward Panthers! Somebody smell a cat?