A leadoff walk in the bottom of the 7th inning turned into the game winning run for the Jerseyville Panthers, as they beat the Miners in their season opener 1-0.
Senior Trae Wargo got the starting nod opening day for the Miners and pitched almost a perfect 6 innings giving up just 1 hit and 1 walk while
striking out 9 Jerseyville batters. Junior Cort Hellman came in for refeif in the bottom of the 7th inning and got the loss for the Miners giving up just 1 hit,1 walk, and 1 earned run in 2/3 of an inning.
Even though the Miners threatned in the top of the first inning with 3 hits, they only managed 2 more hits in the next 6 innings. Trae Wargo led the team at the plate, going 2 for 3 with 2 singles while Balzraine, Link, and Henderson each had a hit.
Even though the Miners didn’t come away with a win, Coach Smith has to be happy with Miners’ performance. Playing a much bigger school and being limited to almost all indoor practices, the Miners managed only 2 errors in 7 innings. Starting pitcher Trae Wargo was equally impressive on the mound and at the plate. If this game was an early indication of this season, the Miners should see more marks in the win column than the loss column.