DOYLINE – Home playoff games don’t come around very often for the Doyline Panther baseball team, but that was the case Thursday night.
The Panthers were at home to take on Monterey in round one of the Class B playoffs looking to make a move into the second round.
The Panthers never quit, but simply did not have enough in the tank to defeat their foe, falling in a 13-1 game.
The game was still within striking distance into the fourth inning at 4-0, but a four-run fourth and a five-run seventh for Monterey broke the game open.
Doyline sent a plethora of pitchers to the mound, starting with senior Cameron Smith.
Smith pitched 3 1/3 innings, allowing seven hits and striking out three batters. Joshua Longstreath tossed 2 2/3 innings for the Panthers, striking out two batters and allowing three hits. Josh Jordan and Parker Hearne also made appearances for the Panthers, but none of the big arms for Doyline were able to corral a stout Monterey lineup.
The Panthers were limited to two hits for the ball game, a pair of singles courtesy of Jax Gaynor and Trey Ware.
Doyline’s season comes to an end with a winning record at 14-13.
Panthers head coach Jay Hearne summed up his team’s season and the mark his departing seniors had on the program in his postgame comments.
“We came up a little short of our goal,” Hearne said. “I couldn’t be more proud of what this team accomplished. Our first winning season in years and hosting a playoff game is a great legacy for our four seniors to leave their mark in helping us rebuild our program. We have 10 regulars who are underclassmen, so as we close this chapter we are excited moving forward to next season.”