Strong pitching propels Panthers to 3-0 start

On the baseball diamond, pitching and defense wins ballgames. The O’Fallon Panthers

applied that principle in the opening week of their 2016 season, winning their first three games

with outstanding performances on the hill combined with just enough offense. After a season-

opening victory over Alton Marquette, Coach Jason Portz’s crew collected wins over Parkway

North and Plainfield South on Saturday to complete their first week of diamond action

unscathed.

The Panthers opened their 2016 on a positive note with a 3-0 victory over Alton

Marquette. The OTHS squad broke a scoreless deadlock in the third inning with a single run

and added two insurance tallies in the fifth to secure the win. Bradley Harrison was the hitting

and pitching star for O’Fallon, banging out two hits in three plate appearances and driving home

two of the Panthers’ three runs. Harrison also started the game on the mound for O’Fallon and

pitched two scoreless innings, striking out four while holding the Explorers hitless.

Max Schaefer got the win for the Panthers in relief, tossing three innings of shutout ball,

allowing only two hits. Logan Boente followed Schaefer to the mound and set the Marquette

batters down in order to collect the save.

The OTHS squad could only produce three hits during the contest, but they made the

most of their opportunities. The Panthers pushed across the first run of the game without the

benefit of a hit. Chase Hackstadt opened the third with a walk and was moved into scoring

position on a sacrifice bunt. Eventually, Hackstadt crossed the plate to give O’Fallon the only

run they would need to collect the victory.

Harrison put the game out of reach in the fifth frame, launching a 1-2 offering over the

centerfield fence. Josh Gibson’s single through the hole between third and short preceded

Harrison’s blast and gave O’Fallon a 3-0 lead before the visiting Explorers could record the third

out of the inning.

O’Fallon continued their winning ways on Saturday beginning with a 5-1 victory over

Parkway North. Paced by Max Schaefer’s pitching gem, the Panthers and a big blast off the bat

of Bradley Harrison, the OTHS squad doubled their win total for the season.

Schaefer, making his first varsity start on the hill, was superb, pitching a complete game

while striking out seven and giving up only two hits. Dillon Weiss opened the bottom of the first

with a walk. Weiss, utilizing his speed, promptly stole second base and advanced to third on

Jared Dalonzo’s ground-out to second. Bradley Harrison chased the speedy senior across

home plate with another ground-out to the right side of the infield. The Panthers added another

tally in the bottom of the second.

Parkway North cut the OTHS lead in half on Jack Faron’s home run off Schaefer in the

fifth, but the junior hurler recovered and blanked the Missouri squad the rest of the way. The

slim 2-1 increased substantially in the bottom of the sixth. Singles by Weiss and Dalonzo set

the table for Bradley Harrison, who deposited a 0-1 pitching into the power alley in right center.

The ball streaked over the Blazier Field wall boosting the OTHS advantage to 5-1. That proved

more than enough insurance for the Panther hurler. Schaefer allowed a single in the top of the

seventh but fanned the final two Parkway North batters to notch the victory.

The Panthers doubled up in their Saturday afternoon nightcap behind another sterling

pitching effort – this time by Bradley Harrison. The OTHS senior won his second game of the

week on a two-hitter. Harrison dominated Plainfield South, striking out ten in the complete

game victory.

Runs were at a premier in the battle against the Chicago suburban school with the score

dead-locked at 0-0 until the bottom of the fourth inning. O’Fallon eased into a 1-0 lead without

the benefit of a hit. Brad Snyder opened the frame with a walk. A second walk and a sacrifice

bunt moved two OTHS runners into scoring position. A third free pass issued to Camden Bauer

loaded the bases for Chase Hackstadt who worked the count in his favor, eventually forcing a

Panther runner across the plate.

The tenuous 1-0 led held up for an inning before Plainfield’s Konnor Ash smacked a

base hit to right to knot the score. O’Fallon’s offense responded immediately, regaining the lead

for good with two sixth inning runs. Walks played a critical role in the OTHS rally as the first two

Panthers worked the Plainfield pitcher for free passes. After Joe Guithes’ successful sacrifice

bunt, moving the runners up one station, Camden Bauer reached with the third walk of the

inning, bringing junior Chase Hackstedt to the plate. Hackstedt delivered with a basehit through

the drawn in right side infield, scoring two. Hackstedt’s key hit gave him all three RBI’s for the

Panthers during the game.

The OTHS squad will attempt to keep their early season momentum against quality

opponents going this weekend when they travel to Emerson, Georgia to compete in the

Louisville Slugger Select tournament.

This story was originally published March 25, 2016 at 9:13 AM with the headline "Strong pitching propels Panthers to 3-0 start."