The NRHEG baseball team opened its season on an up note, defeating St. Clair 8-6 in a nonconference game at New Richland’s Legion Field last Thursday.
It was a typical opener for the Panthers, who fell behind 4-0 in the first inning, rallied and held on in the end.
Senior Carter Tollefson led the Panthers at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a bases-loaded triple, a walk and the game-winning single in the bottom of the sixth inning. Jacob Staloch drove in two runs with a double.
Senior Mitch Akemann — working through a strained rotator cuff — started on the mound for the Panthers and struggled in the early going, giving up four first-inning runs after an error, three walks and three hits.
Sam Lundberg scored in the third to make it 4-3.
The Panthers scored three runs in the fourth to give NRHEG a 6-4 lead, but St. Clair tied it in the fifth on a triple off Akemann.
After relief pitcher David Lassahn worked out of a jam in the top of the sixth, Tollefson came through in the bottom.
The Panthers play Thursday at Randolph and Monday at home against WEM.
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