Panthers wrap up summer baseball

It was a good weekend of summer baseball for the Jackson County Panthers, as they hosted the Summer Shootout tournament for several area teams.

The Panthers’ red team went 3-0-1, with pitching performances from Ken Miller, Austin Robinson, Larry Evans and Jon Florentine.

Evans threw eight innings on the weekend without giving up a hit.

The Panthers’ black team wasn’t as successful, picking up just one win in the tournament.

“We were able to get a bunch of guys their first ever experience against varsity teams and still get them one win with the black team,” said coach Tommy Fountain. “Ryan Shekey really surprised us on the mound in relief for the black team.”

Fountain said the JV team allowed them to have five upcoming eighth graders, three incoming ninth graders and four riding tenth graders get more experience than they have had all summer.

“We have got to get more consistent with those guys but they had moments where they looked okay,” Fountain said. “Offensively, they produced runs, but they kind of ran out of pitching because of the nature of having three teams.”

For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Jackson Herald and The Braselton News.