Princeton handcuffed by Panthers

Fans of the baseball teams from Princeton and Maxwell high schools would not have recognized either squad Thursday, if they were looking for the same two teams that finished last spring so successfully.

Princeton captured last year's Northern Section Division VI championship, while Maxwell finished as runners-up in Division V.

New year, new look, but for different reasons.

Seven players from last year's Eagles' squad flew the coop due to graduating, while the Panthers' lineup was without any of the players still involved in the basketball playoffs.

With both sides working out early-season kinks, Maxwell topped Princeton 10-2 in a five-inning game halted due to the tournament's time rule.

Steven Perry took the hill for Maxwell, and did not allow a hit in three innings of work, with the only baserunner reaching on a first-inning error.

The Panthers did all their damage in the first three innings.

Nathan Azevedo drew a lead-off walk in the first, moved to third with a stolen base and a walk, and came across with the game's first run on a wild pitch. Steven Powell, hitting in the clean-up sot, reached on a fielder's choice and was chased home on Lane Pearson's RBI single, making it 2-0 after one.

An error and three straight walks proved costly to Princeton in the bottom of the second, as one of the walks forced home a run, and Russell Jones' bloop single to center plated two more. Pearson drove in his second run of the game with a single that scored Perry, who had walked, upping the count to 6-0 Maxwell.

James Bowen doubled home a pair in the third and was singled in by Perry, who came around himself to score on another Jones single, wrapping up the scoring for the Panthers.

Nick Hansen picked up Princeton's first hit in the top of the fourth, and Darren Swearinger broke the goose egg by scoring after drawing a one-out walk, and being singled in by Angel Mitchum.

The other Eagles' tally came in the fifth, when Cody Hansen was hit by a pitch and was later singled in by Nick Hansen.

In their first game of the day, the Eagles fell to Biggs 8-3, while Maxwell dropped a 7-3 decision to Chester.

Statistical information was unavailable for either game before press time.

Craig Purcell is sports editor for Tri-County Newspapers. Contact him at 824-1036 or cpurcell@tcnpress.com.