Baseball Recap: Van Alstyne Takes a Loss

Van Alstyne entered their game against Sanger on Tuesday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. The Van Alstyne Panthers fell just short of the Sanger Indians by a score of 3-2. Having soared to a lofty 12 runs in the game before, the Panthers couldn't push the score so high this time.

Landon Newkirk was huge no matter where he played even without the win. On the mound, he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Newkirk was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run, one stolen base, and two RBI.

In other pitching news, Hayden Bietz was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run over six innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.

Newkirk wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Kaden Barrett, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.

Van Alstyne's loss was their first in the district, dropping their district record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 7-5. As for Sanger, their win bumped their record up to 9-7.

Looking ahead, a feisty cat fight will be fought as Van Alstyne Panthers take on Celina Bobcats at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Van Alstyne's pitching crew has only allowed 3.1 runs per game this season, so Celina's hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Sanger, they will welcome Gainesville at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.