Panthers Struggle Against Wolves, Look to Rebound Sunday

Wyatt Vincent

After a week of relentless rain, the skies held just long enough for the Bonney Lake Panthers to take the field against the South Kitsap Wolves on Friday afternoon. The field, against all odds, was in playable condition, and despite a misty start, the rain paused to let the boys have their moment.

South Kitsap entered the game winless at 0-6, desperate to change their fortune. Bonney Lake, fresh off their first victory of the season against Bethel, looked to build on that momentum. With ace Wyatt Vincent on the mound, the Panthers had every intention of keeping the Wolves in their slump.

But South Kitsap came ready.

Evan Hellner

From the first pitch, the Wolves worked the count, found gaps, and capitalized on opportunities. They jumped on Vincent early, plating two runs in the first inning. Meanwhile, Bonney Lake struggled to figure out South Kitsap’s Santiago Herrera, who carved through the lineup with four scoreless innings and four strikeouts. The Panthers showed patience at the plate, drawing seven walks, but couldn’t string together the hits they needed to break through.

Vincent settled in after the rocky first inning, retiring the side in order in the second. But the Wolves chipped away, tacking on another run in the third. By the fourth inning, as umbrellas popped open in the stands, South Kitsap pushed across three more runs, stretching their lead to 6-0.

Bonney Lake needed a spark, and Vincent tried to provide it. The senior crushed a leadoff double to dead center in the fourth. A sacrifice bunt moved him to third, but once again, the Panthers couldn’t bring him home. It was the story of the night—opportunities with nothing to show for them.

Keegan Parker

With a comfortable lead, South Kitsap turned to their bullpen. That’s when the Panthers found some life. Keegan Parker led off with a hit, and suddenly, the bases were loaded. But just as quickly as the rally started, it fizzled. Another missed opportunity.

The Wolves smelled blood. They tagged reliever Brody Sexton for two runs in the sixth and opened the floodgates in the seventh, tacking on four more to put the game out of reach. Bonney Lake scratched across two late runs, courtesy of RBI hits from Ayden Lilley and Parker, but the damage was done. South Kitsap walked away with a commanding 14-2 win.

Bonney Lake will have little time to dwell on this one. The Panthers return home Sunday, March 29, for a rematch with Bethel, looking to claw their way back into contention in the SPSL 4A.

First pitch is at 4 p.m. See you at the ballpark.

Box Score

Batting

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	HR	3B	2B	SB
Jeht Sibucao	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
Trent Blake	3	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
Evan Hellner	3	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
Karsten Ingersoll	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Wyatt Vincent	3	0	1	0	1	0	0	1	0
Ryan Orcutt	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jayden Ortiz-Ruiz	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Eli Hubbard	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Eiyan Gutierrez	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Keegan Parker	1	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	0
Ayden Lilley	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
L. Miller	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Justice Scott	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0

Pitching

Pitcher	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	W	SV
Wyatt Vincent	5	6	6	3	0	4	0	0
Brody Sexton	1.1	4	8	6	3	0	0	0
Alex De La Cruz	.2	1	0	0	1	0	0	0