Baseball Drops Season Opener to Mason
It has been a long time coming for Stockbridge baseball coach Mark Vandenboom to coach his first baseball game for the Panthers.
Shortly after Vandenboom was hired in 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic shut down high school spring sports in Michigan before Panthers could take the field under their new coach.
Vandenboom and the Panthers got to take the field for the first time Tuesday night when they hosted Mason and while the Panthers came up short against the Bulldogs, the fact that Stockbridge and their “new” coach got to play a ball game was the big story.
The Panther got off to a good start. The Panthers Aiden Trost hit the first batter of the game, but then proceeded to strike out the side in the top of the first.
In the bottom of the inning the first two Panthers walked and with one out Trost drilled a single to right to score Austin Knoll for a 1-0 Stockbridge lead.
Aiden Trost struck out six and had a hit and RBI in the Panthers opener against Mason
Mason tied the game up at one in the top of the second, but Dalton Satkowiak doubled to lead off the the bottom of the inning and would score on a pair of wild pitches to give the Panthers a 2-1 lead after two.
The Panthers defense struggled from that point on as the Panthers committed seven errors in the game and the Bulldogs capitalized with six unearned runs and would pull away for a 12-2 win over the Panthers.
Austin Knoll finished with a hit and a run scored, while Ashton Noll added a single. Andrew Davis and Kegan Collins also had hits for the Panthers.
Trost took the loss on the mound, striking out six and walking just one. Ashton Knoll struck out four and allowed one hit in two innings of relief for Stockbridge.
The teams started a second game that was called due to darkness after three innings with the Panthers trailing 10-1.
Davis had a hit and RBI to lead the Panthers. Ashton Knoll had a hit and Trost scored a run for Stockbridge.
The Panthers will now take a long spring break and will return to action when they travel to Olivet for a doubleheader Tuesday, April 13.
