Panthers Show Fight, But Bears’ Big Inning Proves Too Much

Jeht Sibucao - 1 for 2, double, 1 RBI, 1 SB

There’s something about Saturday morning baseball. The energy is different. The air a little crisper. The bleachers a little louder. Maybe it’s the smell of coffee in the crowd or the buzz from kids chasing foul balls beyond the backstop. And at Bonney Lake High, that Saturday vibe was in full swing as the Panthers took the field for a quick turnaround game against the visiting Olympia Bears.

Coming off a tough 7-3 loss to Emerald Ridge the day before, the Panthers were hoping for a reset. The crowd showed up believing in exactly that. But despite moments of momentum and another strong outing from the bullpen, Bonney Lake couldn’t overcome a third-inning surge by Olympia, falling 5-2 in a tightly contested league matchup.

Keegan Parker - 3.2 IP, 4 ER, 1 SO

Senior Keegan Parker got the start for the Panthers and came out dealing. He held Olympia scoreless through two innings, flashing sharp command and getting key outs with runners on base. Behind him, the Panthers’ defense looked crisp—putting the outs away, making the routine plays feel routine. But in the third, the Bears broke through. With the bases loaded, Olympia capitalized on a pair of timely hits to bring in two runs. It could have been worse, but Parker and the defense shut down the rest of the inning with poise.

Wyatt Vincent - 1 for 2, double, 1 R

Bonney Lake answered with a rally of their own in the bottom half. Wyatt Vincent led off with a rope down the left field line for a double. One batter later, junior Jeht Sibucao smoked a towering shot over the center fielder’s head for an RBI double, putting the Panthers on the board and cutting the deficit to one.

That was as close as they’d get.

Parker went 3.2 innings before handing the ball to Gavin Jennings, who inherited a tough jam. The Bears were aggressive, spraying the ball to all fields and tacking on three runs in the fourth—an inning that proved to be the difference.

Gavin Jennings - 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 SO

Still, the Panthers showed fight. In the fifth, trailing 5-1, Bonney Lake loaded the bases with one out, forcing Olympia to pull starter P. Crass, who had dominated with 7 strikeouts over 4.1 innings. The Panthers scratched across one more on a sac fly by Eyain Gutierrez, but a groundout ended the threat.

Jennings, for his part, shut down the Bears the rest of the way, giving the Panthers a chance. But the damage was done, and only Vincent, Sibucao, and Karsten Ingersoll registered hits in the loss.

The Panthers head on the road Tuesday to take on Graham-Kapowsin, looking to put together a full-game performance and bounce back from back-to-back losses. First pitch is at 4 p.m. Grab your shades—it’s starting to feel like spring baseball again.

Box Score

Batting

Player	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	HR	3B	2B	SB
Eyain Gutierrez	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Eli Hubbard	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Evan Hellner	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Karsten Ingersoll	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Trent Blake	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Keegan Parker	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Wyatt Vincent	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0
Jeht Sibucao	2	0	1	1	1	0	0	1	1
Justice Scott	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0

Pitching

Pitcher	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	W	SV
Keegan Parker	3.2	5	5	4	3	1	0	0
Gavin Jennings	3.1	1	0	0	2	3	0	0