The visiting Panthers once again started off the ball game with a modest 1-0 lead. Scott Arthur leads off with a single and he steals second base and is advanced to third base by a Wes Theiss single.  Theiss steals second with one out and the Westfield second baseman has an errant catch advancing Theiss to third and sending Arthur home for the first blood of the evening. Ryan Harris took the pitching assignment for the Panthers. The Mustangs answered back with two runs in the bottom half of the first inning on two hits and one Panther error.

Second inning brought up Andy Wilson who lands on first base after a well hit single into left center field. Austin Jackson then raps a single to move Andy around to second base. Next up is Brent McMinn who sacrifice bunts and advances Wilson and Jackson up a base to place them in scoring position. C.J. Manning then hits a ball that’s too hot to handle to the Mustang second baseman which scores both Wilson and Jackson. Arthur hits into a fielder’s choice, Manning and Arthur are left on base at the end of the top of the second. The Mustangs continue to hit the ball and scored two more runs on three hits. Westfield 4 – Panther 3 after two complete innings.

At the top of third inning the Panthers get their claws out and start fighting the Mustangs with a five run inning. It began with a good at bat from Theiss who battles a walk followed by a Garrett Harrison line drive over short stop into left field. Travis Walker then answers his team mates with another single which loads the bases for Wilson who spanks the ball into left center field for 3 RBI’s and a triple. Not one to be outdone, third baseman Jackson repeats Wilson’s efforts with his own triple and notching an RBI. With two out Scott Arthur walks and picks up two steals and is stranded on third base, Panthers take the lead 8-4. Freshman power house Travis Walker comes in to relieve Harris in the bottom of the third. Walker faced five batters and allowed no runs and left the bases full of Mustangs.

The top of the fourth starts off with a nice piece of hitting by Wes Theiss who with a one and two count drives a “too close to let go pitch” up the middle for a base hit. Next Harrison walks, with pitcher Walker at bat the double steal is on and both Theiss and Harrison advance. Walker then places an outside pitch into  right field which drives in both Theiss and Harrison. Walker steals two bases and is thrown out at home on a tag up fly out from a ball hit by Jackson to the Mustang left fielder for the third out. Walker hustles out to the mound to take control of the bottom half of the fourth inning with two strike outs, one hit, one man left on base and no runs. Panthers lead 10-4 going into the fifth.

In the top of the fifth inning with two quick outs Arthur hits a double, Goodell walks but is thrown out at second trying to steal for the Panthers last out. Walker returns to the hill for the Panthers while Garrett Patterson comes in behind the dish, Ryan Kizer takes the third corner and Joel Hudson protects second base. The Panthers retire three Mustangs in a row ending the inning with one of Walkers nine strike outs of the night.

The top of the sixth inning the Panthers  started off with an out, Harrison walks and is advanced by a Walker single to second base, Harrison gets the nod to stretch the advance to third base but is tag out as he over slides third base. Wilson singles again, but is left on base with Walker, Panthers lead 10-4. In the bottom of the sixth, Walker saw five batters with one single and three K’s. 

Top of the last inning the Panthers put some insurance on the board scoring four additional runs.  Stating off the inning Kizer patiently walks, Arthur groves his third hit of the night advancing Kiser to third.  Goodell then hits an RBI fly ball to center field to score Kizer.  Hudson is in the batter’s box and draws a walk while he watched Arthur steel his fourth base of the night and then advances home on a wild pitch. Harrison then hits a double to the left field fence setting up Walker who pounds his third hit of the night and scores Hudson. Wilson then hits his fourth hit of the night scoring Harrison and the final Panther run of the night. In the bottom half of the seventh inning the Mustangs lead off the inning with a hit and a walk. Next batter hits into a fielder’s choice the Panthers get an out but give up Walkers first run of the night. With two outs, the last batter hits a chopping ball four feet from home plate and bouncing eight feet high, Garrett Patterson launches out from behind the dish, bare hands the ball on its way down and throws a strike to first baseman Ryan Kizer to end the ball game. Next!