The Knoxville Baseball Squad had to wait a few extra days to play its season opener, and the Panthers took advantage against their rivals from across the river in a 6-1 win over Pella as heard live on KNIA and KRLS. The Panthers hit the scoreboard in the top of the 1st getting the first two batters on base with a hit batsman and a walk. Hayden Hatch ripped a two RBI single to left field and the Panthers held a 2-0 lead. That score would hold until the 4th inning when Pella seemed to get momentum when Caleb Stewart got an RBI groundout to cut the Panther lead to 2-1, but that was all the Dutch could muster in what seemed to be a recurring theme all game, Pella would give the Panthers bases on either walks or hit batsmen tune a tune of 16 total free passes and three errors. Knoxville Coach Turner Devore liked the workmanlike effort from his group.

Devore: “To come over here and I told the kids last year we thought we could beat them, and the kids after the game said, we got the job done. They’re senior led and they got the job done.”

Meanwhile Pella Coach Jesse Jablonski told KNIA/KRLS Sports the free bases killed his team and not getting very much at the plate was also disappointing.

Jablonski: “We didn’t have much of a gameplan in the box tonight.. We gave up too many free bases. 16 free bases is just too much for us to give up.”

Lincoln Norris, Trenton Kingery, Hayden Hatch, Kade Bellon, and Niko Lacona all collected one hit for the Panthers. Luke Spaur earned the win going the distance allowing one run, scattering seven hits, walking one and striking out six. Pella was led by Anderson Schirm, who went 2/4. Nathan Vandelune took the loss going four innings giving up two runs on five hits, four walks and four strikeouts. Knoxville is 1-0 and will travel to Saydel tonight while Pella is 2-2 and will host Martensdale-St. Mary’s on Monday.