By Robert Morgan | Published Sunday, April 26, 2009
Just when it appeared the Paradise High School baseball team was on cruise control on its way to the playoffs, the Panthers got slapped with a reality check Tuesday in Peaster.
Paradise did not take advantage of the good pitching performances from Nick Pike and Ryan Smart as it committed a season-high eight errors, and the Greyhounds needed every one of them to beat the Panthers 5-2.
The Panthers, who managed just five hits, got two of them in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead. The advantage lasted one inning as the miscues mounted in the second inning.
After scoring once in the first inning, the Greyhounds rounded home plate three times in the second inning to take a 4-2 lead. They added an insurance run in the fifth inning, but they did not need it as Paradise was cold at the plate the rest of the night.
"I'm disappointed in our overall performance. We made way too many mistakes in the field and on the bases," said PHS coach Scott Broussard. However, I felt Nick Pike and Ryan Smart threw an outstanding game. I just wish we'd helped them out defensively."
Kaleb Read and Kevin Jackson had doubles for Paradise, while Caleb Read, Eric Villanueba and Pike posted singles.
