For the Daily Reporter
GREENFIELD — After a nine inning battle the night before, Greenfield-Central was looking to get back to basics Thursday night. The Cougars succeeded as they defeated the visiting Knightstown Panthers 7-3 to improve their record to 6-4 on the season.
“It was a good game tonight in that when it mattered we really took what (Knightstown) gave us,” Cougars coach Robbie Miller said.
Heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, the Cougars found themselves trailing 3-2. But a string of solid at-bats allowed the Cougars to take back control of the game.
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To start, Nick Atwood drew a walk, Braxton Turner singled, and Seth Robertson reached on an error on an attempted sacrifice bunt. That loaded the based for Bradley McDowell, who lofted a double into right-center field to score two runs and give the Cougars the lead for good. Mason Bussell would drive in a run with another walk and Noah Ramsey would score two more with an RBI single.
“That inning was great for our guys,” Miller said. “When we don’t try to do too much we’re hard to get out. We took a bunch of pitches there and hit the ones they gave us to hit.”
That mentality was present earlier in the game as well when the Cougars scored two runs during a two-out rally in the third inning that started with an infield single by Bussell.
Knightstown got on the board in the fourth inning on a home run by shortstop Tyler Burton off starting pitcher Grant Hinton. Hinton was relieved by Dalton Pebworth in the sixth inning after Hinton allowed two runs by Knightstown. Pebworth was able to prevent any further damage and in so doing, notch his first pitching win of the season.
The victory gives the Cougars a boost heading into tonight’s Hoosier Heritage Conference doubleheader against county rival and Class 4A No. 3 New Palestine. First pitch of the first game will be at 5:30 p.m.
“They’re 13 or 14-0,” Miller said. “But I told these guys last night after battling for nine innings against a great Roncalli team that I’d take them against any team in the state.”
