Despite a strong outing by senior pitcher Adam Goodman in the Panthers’ first game of their state AAAAA playoff doubleheader against South Effingham and a 13-run offensive explosion in Game 2, the Panthers exited early for the first time in school history.

“We’ve never lost in the first round in our history when we’ve made the state playoffs,” head coach Brent Moseley said. “It really sucks to be knocked out in the first round right after winning that tough series to win the region [4-AAAAA] championship, but it is what it is.”

Going against a solid South Effingham team, which has three players accepting college scholarships next season, the Panthers opened up the series sending Goodman to the mound. He pitched 7 ⅔ innings, striking out 10 Mustangs but took the 2-1 loss.

“I knew it was going to be a tough game from the start, considering it was the first game of the playoffs,” Goodman said. “There was a lot of hype and emotion, especially when that first batter came up and got a base hit on me. I knew they were going to be a good hitting team, and I was going to have to work extra hard.”

The Panthers’ best opportunity to score may have come in the fourth inning after junior second baseman Cole Evans hit a double to the right-field gap and advanced to third base on a two-out single by junior catcher Joe Gruszka. Senior catcher Elliot Bauer hit a line drive up the middle that looked to score Evans and advance the runner, but the Mustang pitcher caught the ball and threw to first for a double play to end the inning.

“That was a tough break,” Bauer said. “We had times where we could have scored, we just couldn’t get the break we needed.”

The Mustangs scored a run in the fifth inning with a two-out single and runners on first and third. However, the Panthers evened the score in the bottom of the seventh to send the game to extra innings after junior Allan Shad had a two-out hit with nobody on. He moved over to third after Evans hit a single. Evans stole second to bring up Gruszka, who walked to load the bases. Bauer walked next, scoring Shad and sending the game to extra innings.

South Effingham scored in the top of the eighth inning to take a 2-1 lead and held on to go up 1-0 in the series.

“When Adam pitches, especially how he pitched, we have to win,” Moseley said. “When we don’t win when he pitches, we get into a little trouble.”

Both teams didn’t have time to dwell on Game 1 for too long because the second game started soon after. In contrast to the first game’s pitchers duel, the runs kept piling on in the second.

The Mustangs took a 4-2 lead by the end of the first inning, knocking out Panther starting pitcher junior J.D. Masters.

“That was certainly not my best start,” Masters said. “I got hit hard and early.”

South Effingham scored four more runs off junior pitcher and shortstop Richie Post, who came in for Masters in the third inning. The Panthers scored eight runs in the fourth inning to take a 10-8 lead.

“We all got together and kind of said ‘if we’re going to do it, we need to do it now,” junior first baseman Garrett Houston said. “I thought it was huge the way we came together like that to take the lead and make it a game again.”

After the Panthers’ offensive flurry, the Mustangs took control and scored six runs to regain the lead, 14-10. The Panthers tightened up the game in the final two innings, scoring three runs by getting good at-bats and putting runners on base, but couldn’t pull it out, losing the game 14-13 and the series 2-0.

“I thought we played well,” Moseley said. “A lot of guys put in good performances to keep us in it. [South Effingham] was a little better of an offensive team than we were, and when pitching is equal in a game like that, like it was, I think they are going to out-hit us more often than not.”

Sophomore pitcher Chance Amell threw the final 2 2/3 innings and didn’t allow a run after the Mustangs’ last explosion in the fifth inning.

Senior outfielder Eric Sutliff, Post, and Bauer all had three hits in Game 2. Sophomore center fielder Kyle Evert and Gruszka each had two hits. In the series, Gruszka had four hits and three walks.

“I’m so disappointed,” Gruszka said. “I’m glad I did well and we put up some good offense in the second game, but I wanted to win.”