PALATKA - The Panthers exploded for 11 runs in the first inning on Friday and never looked back as the South Florida Community College baseball team crushed St. John's River CC 12-0 to start a three-game road trip out with a bang.
"We talked before the game about being ready for the first pitch," said SFCC coach Rick Hitt. "And they definitely were, which was nice to see."
Austin Gaines had a monster day at the plate: He was 3 for 4 with a double, triple, home run, five RBI and two runs scored, while Brandon Decker was 2 for 4 and Sam English and Lake Placid's Steven Levine each had home runs.
"We came out and knocked it around," Hitt said. "We only had eight hits, but they were all important."
With runs on the board, right-hander Leo Chang struck out seven, walked one and allowed three hits over seven shutout innings to earn the victory.
"Leo kept the ball in the strike zone and kept us ahead," Hitt said. "The offense really set the tone for him."
The Panthers continued their road trip on Saturday against Santa Fe CC in Gainesville and will face off against Central Florida CC at noon today in Ocala. For results of both games, see Monday's Highlands Today.
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