JACKSON, Miss. (February 12, 2022) - An eighth-inning rally from the LaGrange Panthers pushed them past Rhodes, as they took the game 8-6. The loss drops Rhodes to 1-1 (0-0 SAA) on the season, while LaGrange sits at 2-0. 

 Rhodes started the scoring in the top of the first when Peter York earned a walk, was sacrificed over to second base, took third on a wild pitch, and scored on a Chris Penna single. Wood Kimbrough and John McNair added singles as well, loading the bases. Quinn Blackman then drew a walk to drive in a run, making it 2-0. 

Neither offense could do much in innings two through four. Nick Ferazzi did a good job of keeping the dangerous LaGrange offense at bay. Last year, the Panthers averaged more than nine runs per game. Ferazzi limited them to two runs (one earned) through 4.2 innings. 

The Lynx took advantage of sloppy play from the Panthers in the fifth. After Chris Penna walked with one out, Wood Kimbrough was hit by a pitch. A passed ball moved both runners into scoring position. Two batters later, a fielding error by the LaGrange first baseman allowed Penna to score, making it 3-0. Rhodes then returned the favor in the bottom half. Matt Eden drew a lead off walk, and made it all the way to third on two wild pitches. A sac fly brought him home for the first Panther run of the game. Then, with two outs, McKinley Erves reached on an error, stole second base, and was brought home by a Joe Ruth single to make it 3-2. LaGrange would then tie things up in the sixth on an RBI single. 

After a quiet seventh, things got crazy in the eighth. Mitchell O'Berry led the inning off with a pinch-hit double for Rhodes, followed by a York walk. A sac bunt put both men in scoring position, and LaGrange opted to intentionally walk the dangerous Penna to load the bases. After a strikeout, the Lynx received a clutch rip from McNair, whose single down the right field line plated two. Blackman then followed with a double to the gap that scored Penna, making it 8-5. Rhodes loaded the bases again before the inning was over, but a costly pickoff ended their rally. 

Things fell apart for the Lynx in the bottom of the eighth when the first three Panthers all walked to load the bases. A two-run single from Adam Dorn brought them within one at 8-7. John fears was called on to pitch in relief, and managed two groundouts. A walk loaded the bases, and another pitching change as made. The Panthers were not phased, drawing a bases loaded walk to tie things up, and then managing a two-run single that plated a pair for an 8-6 lead. 

Rhodes put two men on in the top of the ninth, but a pair of popouts ended the game, 

Penna reached base three times, drove in one, and scored three times. York also reached three times, and scored twice. Kimbrough and McNair each had two hits. 

Rhodes will make their home debut tomorrow afternoon when they host the Millikin Big Blue. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 pm.