Major league prospect Stetson Allie looked like his usual self on Sunday against Elder. Allie struck out 16 Panthers, while allowing three runs in his day of work. While reaching speeds of 101 mph, Allie was still manageable to hit. The Elder offense generated a late rally in the 6th inning, but not before digging themselves into an enormous hole.
Elder starting pitcher Matt Pate was able to shut down the Eagle offense for the first three innings to keep the score tied at zero. St. Ed's was able to get to Pate in the fourth with some timely hitting and an error by Elder shortstop Selby Chidemo. The Eagles totaled four runs in the inning (two unearned on the error). As Elder was trying to figure out Allie, the Eagle offense took off again in the sixth. St. Ed's was able to put up four more runs to grab a 8-0 lead.
The Panther offense finally got on the board in the sixth with three runs. O'Conner drove in Chidemo with an RBI single after Chidemo reached base on a sharp double down the left-field line. After a strike out, Elder loaded the bases and third baseman Bryan Reistenberg drove home the final two runs of the inning with a double down the left-field corner. This would be all the scoring Elder would do for the day. St.Ed's held the lead and defeated Elder 8-3. The Eagles would capture their second state title in three years.
Elder head coach Mark Thompson said he has never seen a better performance from a starting pitcher (speaking of Allie) in his 21 years as Elder's coach. The Panther team has once again proved resilient this season. After a tough 12-5 loss on April 15th to Harrison, the Panthers went on to finish the rest of the season with an 18-2 mark and a 28-5 record overall. I do not know what Coach Thompson said after the Harrison game, but he definitely got his team to focus and make another strong run at the state title.
Congratulations Elder on another great year in an already successful program!
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