Zufall's Seventh-Inning Home Run Wins It for the Panthers

Wednesday’s  vs.  baseball game at GCS Park in Sauget, IL featured more unearned runs than earned runs, but the tie-breaker in the top of the seventh inning was definitely earned.

Mehlville senior Brandon Zufall pulled a chest-high fastball off Tiger reliever Will Miller over the right field fence to break a tie and eventually win the game 4-3.

“He kind of threw it in my wheel house and it took off from there. I wasn’t trying to hit a home run, just trying to get on base,” he said.

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Both teams made defensive errors, but Mehlville made fewer. Both pitchers, Kurt McGuire for the Panthers and C.J. Martin for the Tigers, made errors that allowed runs.

The result Tuesday was just the opposite when .

“What a difference a day makes,” Mehlville coach Tim Ode said. “Definitely a lot more dramatic with the home run in the top of the seventh.”

“We’re that close,” he said. “We just need a little bit more to push us over the top and I think we got that tonight. It was probably the most consistent defense we’ve played all year.”

Oakville coach Rich Sturm said Mehlville made less mistakes than they did, and sometimes that determines the outcome.

“You’ve got to give Mehlville credit,” he said. “They’re a scrappy team. They play hard, and they won the ball game.”