Panther errors, offensive struggles contribute in 16-1 loss to Mathews

Panthers third baseman Andre' Mason performs a scoop catch to retire a Mathews' batter.

Andre' Jones photo

Charles City Panthers failed to muster a hit until the fourth inning, and by then it was too late.

Mathews’ Blue Devils capitalized off of four first inning errors by the hosts as they cruised to a 16-1 victory during Charles City’s home baseball season finale.

The visitors maximized opportunities on the bases, thanks to Panther errors. Five unearned runs crossed the plate for the Blue Devils, and four more earned runs followed for a 9-0 lead for the guests before the Panthers could register an out.

Charles City’s Shea Clancy drew a walk in the bottom of the first inning, but he would be the lone base-runner until the fourth inning as three Mathews pitchers combined for a no-hitter to that point. Meanwhile, Austin Kemp’s triple cleared the bases in the top of the inning and Colin Cook’s single helped propel six more runs across the plate for the guests, and a 16-0 lead.

Charles City garnered its first hit on a Michael Callahan single. Two additional Panthers reached base on walks before Callahan was forced in by a third consecutive walk to break the Panthers into the scoring column (16-1).

After forcing a three-and-out inning against the guests, the Panthers started connecting with the ball better, but only earned a second hit from Thomas Kelly. Kelly’s steal attempt was nullified as he was thrown out at second to end the contest after five innings.

After the game, Charles City head coach Alan Jones said the hard work the team puts in during practice hours is not rolling over into game situations.

“We play well at practice, but we get game-time jitters,” said the disappointed head coach. “The same thing has been going on all year for us. We make errors and they affect us a lot.

“The two innings we shut them (Mathews) out today, we didn’t commit any errors,” he added. “Those mistakes and a lack of production on offense are the biggest factors hurting us this year.”

Charles City remains winless on the year at 0-14, with a 0-6 Tidewater District record.