Leopards Fall to Fellowship Christian Twice, Come Back with A Win

The Leopards met the Fellowship Christian Paladins on their field on Tuesday night, ready to take on their new region opponent for a chance at the state title. The Leopards fell to the Paladins by six runs with no runs for themselves on the board.

Colin Caudell and Aucy Jacobs managed to get hits in to try and bump up the score for the Leopards, while Carson Hill and Trevor Cox were allowed to walk after too many balls were thrown by the pitcher. Despite their efforts, it wasn’t enough to overcome the Paladins.

Caine Griffith and Caudell led on the pitcher’s plate during the game, and Caudell earned two strikeouts during his time on the field.

VS FELLOWSHIP CHRISTIAN: 11-5 (L)

The Leopards went up against the Paladins again on Thursday on the home field, where they lost to the Paladins again with a final score of 11-5.

The event began with the Leopards baseball players honoring the Special Olympics athletes on the field for their achievements during the Special Olympics event in late March. The Leopards athletes wore their medals around their necks and carried uniquely designed baseball caps they had made for the baseball players to wear during the game that night. They presented them with the caps on the field, where they also took pictures with the team in front of a cheering Banks County crowd.

After the ceremony, the Leopards and the Paladins lined up on the field to play for a second time on their journey to State.

The teams started the game off with high intensity. Leopards started on defense, with Judd Spear leading on the pitcher’s plate for the first few innings. Spear got his first strikeout early, while Carson Hill and Nolan Angel made catches for an offensive turnover. The Paladins were able to get two runs in at the top of the first inning.

Cam Cooper led the offensive drive at the bottom of the first with a hit that filled the bases for the Leopards. His efforts led to the Leopards’ first run by Angel, leaving the Leopards with 2-1 at the start of the game.

A home run for the Paladins in the second inning sent the Leopards into a deficit of four points with 5-1. Spear and Angel led on defense with strikeouts and catches.

In the third, Colin Caudell made a catch on first base to complement Spear’s efforts on the pitcher’s plate. Cooper once again filled the bases on offense, but his hit did not result in a run.

In the fourth, Angel, Hill, and Caudell led the defensive effort, along with Caine Griffith, who became the pitcher for the Leopards in the middle of the fourth.

The game began to heat up at the bottom of the fourth, starting with a hit from Hill into the outfield. Aucy Jacobs followed on the batter’s plate with a hit down the third base line, sending him to second base and Hill to third. Hill and Jacobs put two more runs on the board for the Leopards. The score was 9-3.

Bases were filled once again by Andrew Humphries, and with another attempt at bats from Cooper, Owen Miller and Caudell put two more runs on the board, giving the Leopards a score of 9-5. Bases were filled once more by Gavin Sears before another out sent the Leopards back into defense.

The fifth inning saw no runs from the Paladins as Griffith led on the pitcher’s plate, while Miller was able to get the ball to Caudell on first base for another out. No runs were made by the Leopards at the bottom of the fifth.

No runs were made for either team in the sixth. The Leopards held the Paladins at bay with a catch from Angel in the outfield, followed by a throw from Humphries on third base to Caudell on first. Jacobs ended the top of the sixth with another catch in the outfield.

The Paladins managed to come out on top with two more runs at the top of the seventh inning despite the Leopards’ efforts. Griffith managed to give the Leopards and their supporters some hope at the batter’s plate, where he managed to hit a ball into the outfield and make it to second base, but it wasn’t enough to catch up with the Paladins.

The Paladins won the second game against the Leopards with a final score of 11-5.

VS FELLOWSHIP CHRISTIAN: 8-4 (W)

The Leopards came back with a win at the end of the week against the Paladins with a final score of 8-4.

Because the double-header on Thursday got rained out, the Leopards met the Paladins on the home field on Saturday morning to determine who would be the victor of their final match before State.

Nolan Angel led the offensive effort with two runs for the Leopards. Colin Caudell, Blake Holcomb, Carson Hill, Caine Griffith, Aucy Jacobs, and Jonathon Faulkner also got one run each.

Hunter Heath and Blake Holcomb led on the pitcher’s plate, and Heath managed to get five strikeouts during his time on the field.

This week, the Leopards will be going against the Union County Panthers in their last round of games before the State tournament begins. On Monday, April 17, the Leopards will travel to Blairsville for the first matchup at 5:30 p.m. On Thursday, April 20, the Leopards will host the last double-header of the season while also celebrating senior night. The first game is scheduled to begin at 5:00 p.m.