Camden Griffith, Camden Mossburg Go Yard as Panthers Beat North Andrew 13-2

Pattonsburg cooled off a red hot North Andrew squad, flooring them for the count in the first three innings and then holding off their attempts to rally in the fourth and fifth, getting a complete game win from Camden Griffith on Senior Night. Pattonsburg struggled to get the big hit in their first two games, dropping two games to Polo and North Platte. But a 15-0 win over Stanberry jump-started their campaign, and they have been winning most of their games since then; they have won their third straight and sixth out of their last eight. They will know right away how much they have improved as they invade Maysville Thursday; the Wolverines are still a dominant power in the area with a 15-5 record. 

North Andrew had been a doormat for the last several years, after not winning more than two games in any campaign since the 2020-21 season and not even fielding a team in the 2019-20 campaign after posting a winning season in 2018-19. They did not win a single game last year and looked to continue that this year, dropping their first eight games and only scoring more than two runs in one of them. But all of a sudden, they caught fire, winning their next three games, dropping Albany, North Nodaway, and Stanberry, the latter two by the 15-run rule, and then played a good game before losing to Princeton. They only have two seniors on the roster out of 13 players and have nowhere to go but up despite Thursday's loss.

The Cards showed the form that got them to catch fire at first as Joey Wilson caught hold of one of Camden Griffith's offerings and crushed it. But Alex Young, moved from catcher to left field, ran it down for the first out of the game and North Andrew came up empty.

The Panthers had their full squad back for Thursday's game, and Landon Preston started off with a Texas Leaguer that dropped in right field for a base hit. Alex Young walked and Camden Griffith caught hold of one and crushed it over the left field fence to put the Panthers up 3-0. Unlike the North Harrison game, the wind was blowing out and the balls were flying off the bats, making it much easier for the Panthers to put the game away.

Griffith kept his perfect game through two as Parker Virtue came in from a long ways back in right to run down Levi McAfee's pop fly. Virtue walked and Drayson McCrary walked as well. That set up Landon Preston's ground rule double to make it 4-0. Alex Young popped out, but Camden Griffith was safe at first when the first baseman pulled his foot off the bag to score McCrary and an errant pickoff throw from the catcher to third base scored Preston as Griffith came from first to third on the play. A bad hop single by Camden Mossburg scored Griffith. Jace Estrada flied out, but Reagan Coin singled and Ethen Elder singled, plating Mossburg and putting Coin on third. A return throw to the pitcher that got away scored Coin to make it 9-0 after two.

After Griffith struck out the side in the third to reach three perfect innings, Drayson McCrary singled with one out and stole second. Landon Preston hit a screamer that sliced away from the left fielder for a double to score McCrary and make it 10-0. He stole third and came home on Alex Young's grounder to third. That chased Card pitcher Levi McAfee, but Camden Griffith walked and Camden Mossburg hit a monster shot to right field that was hit so far, the right fielder didn't even make an effort to go after it as the Panthers led 13-0. 

Troy Madison got North Andrew out of the inning and then Jarom Russo broke up Griffith's perfect game bid in the fourth with a single as the Card batters started hitting Griffith much better the second time through. Madison followed with another single and they advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. Tyson Wilmes doubled to the wall in center to score both and break the shutout. But Drayson McCrary, who had come up big in the Albany win on the mound, pitching for the first time in two years, came up big from behind the plate, gunning down Wilmes stealing third after the ball had rolled away from him to kill the rally. 

Griffith settled down, striking out two and Landon Preston bailing him out when second baseman Collin Mason losing a pop fly, but Preston coming in from short to take it. Griffith struck out nine for the Panthers in the win.

The Panthers honored track star Katelyn Jones, who holds the state record in the Long Jump, as well as baseball seniors Ethen Elder, Drayson McCrary, Landon Preston, and Parker Virtue. 

The Panthers and Cardinals tied the JV game 4-4. Ethen Elder pitched the first inning for the Panthers and got out of a jam, thanks to a play in which he doubled off a runner from first after catching a pop fly. The Cards teed off on Dustin Ward in the second to make it 3-0, but some of the younger players came through in the Panther second. Andrew Young singled after a Texas Leaguer dropped in. The next two struck out, but Reagan Coin singled and Alex Young doubled to cut it to 3-2. Ethen Elder walked and Collin Mason doubled to tie it at 3-3. Under JV rules, the inning is called when a team reaches three outs or three runs.

An errant throw on a steal try allowed McAfee to circle the bases and score to make it 4-3 in the third, but Jeremy Pittsenbarger walked to force in a run and tie it at 4-4.