As Winter sports come to a close and the Spring season begins, the Plant baseball team kicks off the momentum in pre-season matchups, that began on Feb 2. Following the first game, they hosted their second on Feb. 3 at home against Winter Haven. 

The Plant Panthers took home a win against Winter Haven 3-2 in a very close game, where both teams kept each other’s score down until the end. Winter Haven got on the board in the top of the second with a pair of baserunners on the bases and one crossing to give them a 1-0 lead. The Panthers struggled to create offense early, but they eventually settled in as the game progressed. The third-inning run tied the game at 1-1 after a runner scored off a hit and shifted the momentum back towards the Panthers. 

The Panthers then followed up in the same inning with another run to take a 2-1 lead over Winter Haven. The Plant offense was focused on putting the ball in play and advancing runners rather than swinging for extra-base hits. Winter Haven’s defense kept the inning from getting out of control by holding Plant Panther to a single-run advantage. 

The game was steady over the next several innings as both teams relied on defense and pitching. The Panthers’ infield made clean plays on routine groundballs, while the Panthers’ outfielders limited extra bases on flyballs. Winter Haven tied the game at 2-2 in the fifth after taking advantage of a scoring opportunity, and maintained the competitiveness of the game heading into the latter innings. 

Plant responded in the bottom of the fifth after reaching base and advancing a runner into scoring position and set up the eventual go-ahead run. A hit into play advanced the runner home, giving Plant Panther a 3-2 lead at the last second of the seventh inning. 

Both teams looked for opportunities to create offense in the final innings of the game, but defense and pitching ultimately set the score.  

Following the game, Plant Panther’s Logan Cucchi said the team’s focus was on maintaining consistency throughout. “We knew it was going to be close, so we just tried to stay locked in,” Cucchi said.  

Many students and family members who attended the game stayed involved until the final inning because of the close score. 

Plant will continue to work toward its next matchup after the one-run win against Winter Haven. The 3-2 final score left Plant at a 2-0 record for the preseason matchups. The real season kicks off on Feb 12 with a home game at Robinson.