BASEBALL: Panthers hold off Zion-Benton, 6-4

Cole Bigham picked up his second win of the season and Nolan Luke had a big two-run homer as part of a three-RBI day as Pinckneyville held off Zion-Benton 6-4 on Monday at Rigdon Field.

After striking out the side in the top of the first, Bigham got into a jam in the second after allowing a pair of leadoff hits. But although he surrendered two runs in that inning, the left-hander sent the next ten batters down in order.

The Panthers got him a lead in the bottom of the third when Luke hammered a 1-2 pitch over the fence for a two-run shot, bringing in Tyler Rulevish who had doubled to plate Jackson Brand. Brand's two-out single got the mini-rally going.

"Nolan hit that ball really well," said Pinckneyville head coach Gabe Shepard. "This weekend in Kentucky our bats were pretty dead. We needed a day like today to kind of break out. Hopefully they keep rolling a little bit."

Jacob Louis made it 4-2 Panthers with an RBI single, scoring DH Adam Banach, who led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a base hit. Luke singled to bring in Brand (walk) in the fifth to tack on another run.

The Zee-Bees got two runs back in the top of the sixth on three hits, and started the top of the seventh with a walk to chase Bigham from the mound. Hayden Carter picked up the save, however, pitching around two additional walks to prevent Zion-Benton from inching closer.

"Bigham worked a little down in the zone today," Shepard said. "Last time out he was a little high. He's just solid, he's going to keep you in the game every time. He got on a pretty good roll there."

"He was getting up high in pitches towards the end, but he really wanted that complete game, so we put him back in for the seventh and told him if he got one on, he was done. He walked the first batter, but Hayden (Carter) came in and shut them down, did a good job."

Rulevish (2-3, R, RBI, 2B), Luke (2-4, R, 3 RBI, HR), Banach (1-3, R), Louis (1-2, RBI, BB), Bigham (1-3), Brand (1-1, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB), Trent Hicks (1-3) and Justin Bauersachs (1-3) had hits for Pinckneyville.

The Panthers (3-2) are off Tuesday before hosting Hamilton County on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.