Knoxville 8 Grinnell 5

Friday June 5, 2009

by Don French

Knoxville dominated through most of their opener of a double-header Friday against Grinnell and then held off a furious Tigers' rally for an 8-5 win.

The Panthers streaked to a 5-0 lead after two innings, led by a two-run homer by left fielder Mike Jacks. Zach Lenger added a bad-hop RBI single and Lance Daugherty hustled out an infield hit for another RBI.

Daugherty and Jacks combined for another run in the fifth as Daugherty's double was followed by Jacks' RBI single. Two walks and a Tiger error helped Knoxville plate two more in the sixth for an 8-1 lead.

Daugherty tamed the Tigers through six innings from the pitcher's mound, allowing a single run and only two hits over that span. But Grinnell got to the righty in the seventh, combining four hits to score four runs before the Panthers slammed the door and claimed the win.

Blake McWilliams had three hits for Knoxville. Jacks and Daugherty each added two, with Jacks totaling three RBI's for the contest.