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Panthers Pound Terriers

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By ADAM ADKINS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 23, 2008

TAMPA - Plant's offense finally clicked Friday night the way baseball coach Dennis Braun knew it could, and the Panthers happened to break out against one of their biggest rivals.

The nationally ranked Panthers, No. 37 in the Baseball America/NHSBCA poll, pounded out 15 hits and rolled to a 12-2, mercy-rule shortened victory against district rival Hillsborough at Wade Boggs Field.

"This was something we needed," Braun said. "We've always been a pretty good hitting team, so I'm hoping this kind of carries us through a little bit."

Most of Plant's offensive damage came from the left-handed bats of seniors Mike Lashbrook, Preston Tucker and Jared Womack. The trio combined to go 8-for-11 with six RBIs and six runs scored.

"In the beginning of the season we weren't hitting like we know we can, but tonight we came out and proved what we can do," said Womack, who went 3-for-3.

The Panthers wasted little time getting things going, stringing together four consecutive two-out base hits in the first to take a 2-0 lead. Dylan Esche tied the game for Hillsborough (3-1) with a two-run homer in the second, but it was all Panthers (4-0) after that.

Plant scratched out three more in the third and added two in the fourth on Lashbrook's two-run homer. Then in the fifth, Justin Salas drilled a three-run triple to right to make it 10-2, and Mychal Givens and Tucker added RBI singles to end the game.

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