Managing to only finish the first part of the doubleheader versus Rock Creek before technical issues ended the night early, the Concordia High School baseball team defeated the Mustangs 5-1, with the two teams to make up game two at a later date.
Rock Creek struck first, with a leadoff base hit, two grounders and another base hit, giving them a 1-0 lead early. Concordia wasn’t able to retaliate, with a quick bottom of the first inning with a fly-out and double play.
The Panthers bounced back, with pitcher Chane Parker tallying a pair of strikeouts and a groundout to hand the Mustangs a three-up-three-down inning, but the Panthers were only able to draw a walk by Parker in the bottom of the second to still trail 1-0.
After a three-up-three-down third inning for both teams, Rock Creek had a quick end to the top of the fourth inning. Concordia finally got rolling, with Boone Richard picking up a leadoff single before stealing second, Parker Jackson hit a single that scored Richard, a Drake Blochlinger double scored Jackson, a Parker single scored Blochlinger, and a passed ball scored Parker, to make it a 4-1 Panther lead.
Another quick inning in the fifth and another three-up-three-down top of the sixth for Rock Creek gave way to a Koehn Williams double and a Maxson Frey single that scored Williams, to make it 5-1.
Ayden Krier relieved Parker on the mound in the top of the seventh and closed the game with three strikeouts to take the first game.
Parker and Frey each went 1-2 from the plate with a walk each; Richard, Krier, Jackson, Blochlinger, Williams, and Kale Schroeder all went 1-3, with Brandon Vignery going 1-4. Parker earned the win on the mound with seven strikeouts, four hits and one walk allowed in six innings pitched.
