Knoxville 6 Pella 5

Friday July 9, 2010

by Don French

Jamie VanderVeer singled to drive in the winning run in the bottom of the seventh and was also the winning pticher in a thrilling 6-5 come-from-behind win for Knoxville over Pella Friday evening. The game was Knoxville's last home game of 2010 and was preceded by senior night activities which honored three Panther seniors -- Mike Jacks, Jared McRoberts and Blake McWilliams.

This contest did not look promising early. Knoxville committed four errors defensively in a two-inning span to allow the Dutch a 5-0 advantage in the fourth inning. Jacks cranked his third home run of the year in the bottom of the fourth to get the Panthers to within four of the visitors, then Knoxville tied the game with a four-run burst in the fifth.

Eric Jones' double was followed by Jacob Cunningham's RBI single. McWilliams drove in Cunningham with a double which chased Pella's starting pitcher. Jacks was walked intentionally, then Adam Thiel drove in McWilliams with a single. Jacks scored the tying run on a Dutch error.

Meanwhile, VanderVeer was shutting down the Pella bats on the pitcher's mound. The junior relieved Knoxville starter Lance Daugherty, who allowed six hits in three and two-thirds innings but was also betrayed by the Panther defense. The black and gold defense would stiffen, though, playing errorless ball the rest of the night. VanderVeer allowed only one hit over three-plus innings and never allowed the Dutch to score.

The game remained tied at five entering the bottom of the seventh, when Daugherty led off with a single and Thiel beat out a bunt for a base hit. Kellen Glover moved up both runners with a sac bunt. Daugherty was cut down at the plate on an attempted suicide squeeze, but then VanderVeer's solid two-out single drove in Thiel to allow Knoxville to walk off with the win.

The victory was Knoxville's twentieth of the year against eight losses and improved the Panthers to 13-6 in conference play. The Panthers close the regualr season Monday with a trip to Oskaloosa for a double-header.