Panthers fall to Ganders 4-0

ANAHUAC – The Anahuac Panthers hosted teams from across the area last weekend at their annual tournament and on Friday, they fell to Class 5A Baytown Lee 4-0. 

With the temperatures dipping to just above freezing and a stout breeze that felt like it was coming from a polar bear standing in front of a turbofan, you don’t hear many people yell, “Play Ball.” Except for last Friday night, that happened at the Anahuac High School ballpark. 

Gander Nation came to town via a yellow school bus marked Baytown Lee. Usually only seen by girls playing softball, Gander’s top strategy was to heckle from the dugout while the frozen Panther fingers fought to get the ball to its intended location. 

Panthers saw seventeen batters come away with only one hit, adding up to a team average of .059. The team gained first base four times due to the likewise chilled fingers of Lee’s pitching crew not throwing strikes, while two more went after being hit by a pitch. 

The Ganders did manage to strike out seven Panthers, leaving nine runners stranded on base throughout the contest. 

Brayden Sutch took the mound, pitching two innings. Sutch walked four, struck out three and walked away with a 10.50 ERA.  

Oscar Garza was slotted next as the target of Gander trash talk. Using his unwavering, controlled pitching routine, Garza rang up smoother numbers, with four strikeouts and one walk as he faced nine batters, ending the night with a 2.33 ERA. 

It was a rough outing for the Panthers, but there is talent at every fielding position, including several veteran players. Add in a power trio coaching staff of Head Coach Edd Trotter, with three and a half decades of bringing home the bacon and assistant coaches Nilius and Bryan, who are master strategists with that combination, and you have a winning team that will fill seats at ballpark. 

Tuesday, March 4, marks the first district game when Warren comes to town, and everything counts.