The Saint Jo Panthers lost a close game at home against Perrin-Whitt on Tuesday.
The Pirates won 4-3, taking the lead in the sixth inning and not letting go.
Saint Jo took the early lead with runs scored in the second and third innings. Jonathan Diaz executed a sacrifice bunt to score Payton Harris first. Collin Thomas would then score on a steal to home plate to put the Panthers up 2-0.
Perrin-Whitt would come back to tie the score up in the fourth inning. An RBI single and a sacrifice groundout scored two runs to make the score 2-2.
In the fifth inning, the Panthers regained the lead. Matthew Butler-Everson led off with a walk. After stealing second base and advancing to third base on a passed ball, Jace Johnson then drove him in with a single to put Saint Jo up 3-2.
The Pirates answered back in the sixth inning. Trying to prevent a steal at third base with two runners on base, an error allowed the runner to score and the other to advance to third. A passed ball would then allow that runner to score and put the Pirates up 4-3.
Saint Jo tried to rally in the seventh inning. Thomas led off and was hit by a pitch to get on base. Butler-Everson followed and hit a single to put the winning run on base.
Unfortunately, the next batter hit into a double play and the next batter grounded out to end the game. Perrin-Whitt won 4-3.

Softball
The Saint Jo Lady Panthers had a rough double-header against 2A Muenster on Tuesday.
The Lady Hornets won both games 22-1 and 18-0, both games being three innings long due to run-rule.
The Lady Panthers one run scored in the first game came in the final inning of that game. Krista Reeves scored on the basepaths thanks to a fielding error, which was opportunistic since the team failed to get a hit in the two games and still found a way to score.
Coach Kelly Skidmore said it was mostly bad luck as her team made contact, but just it would go right to a Muenster player.
Defensively the team committed six fielding errors in the first game and three in the second. Unfortunately, the team gave up 15 free bases in each game that drove in a lot of runs with few hits needed.
Playing any 2A school for Saint Jo would be tough, but it is equally so for this team in the program’s first full season playing softball.
Skidmore likes how her girls are coming along as they head into the final month of the season.
Saint Jo is next scheduled to play at 11 a.m. on April 15 at Collinsville.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.