Starting the game down 0-1 after a homerun from the visiting team might intimidate some squads, but the Liberty County Panthers brushed the dirt off, rolled up their sleeves and drove in 10 points in the second inning. The Panthers closed the game in the fourth with a 16-1 rout over visiting Johnson High School on Thursday.

Senior pitcher Justin Eaton got 8 strikeouts, 1 walk, gave up 2 hits and one run.

"The boys did what they needed to do," Panther coach David Samuel said. "We knew ahead of time that Johnson didn’t have a solid team, so I told the boys to jump on them early to discourage them."

The Panthers pounced with Eaton and Zach Hensley going 3 of 3 and getting an RBI apiece. Cody French was also 3 of 3. Chris Arnold hit 3 of 4 with 2 RBIs and Joe Watkins nailed 2 of 3 and got 3 RBIs. Eddie Chipple was 2 of 4 with 3 RBIs and Cameron Harris had a base hit.

"The 3rd and 4th innings went well for us as we capitalized on base hits, stolen bases and errors by Johnson," Samuel said. "Everyone did their job once again. Justin pitched well, the defense did its job and our batters hit the ball well. As long as everyone works together, the team will succeed. I am happy with the outcome of the game."

The Panthers have allowed only two runs in their first two games of the season. The 2-0 Panthers will play tomorrow at 4 p.m. at Benedictine.