GRIFFITH, Ind. – The Indiana Panthers continue to perform well against the Griffith Generals, as the Panthers won 8-5 in a seven-inning game to win the weekend series. The win puts the Panthers at a 5-1 record against the Generals this season, as Griffith falls to a dismal 6-15 record overall.
The Generals once again made things interesting in the later innings of the ball game, as they managed to cut a six-run deficit in half and send the potential tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh. However, a rough bullpen outing from Rodney Lester put the Generals too far behind, as he gave up four runs in his 3.1 innings of relief.
Despite struggles on the defensive side of the ball for Griffith, some players on the offensive side have proved their worth in the last week, and it came to its peak in today’s game. Bryce Vorwald had a two-hit, two-walk, two-RBI day while scoring a run. He also took away extra bases on several occasions in the outfield.
Diego Lopez had his shining moment of the season when he blasted a ball over the left field fence in the bottom of the seventh to give his team a chance to rally back. He had a two-run single in his previous at-bat.
Regarding the recent emergences of Vorwald and Lopez, head coach Peter Romsek had high praise for his stars of the day. Vorwald had recently been in a slump due to pure bad luck, and Romsek urged him to stay the course and try not to do too much to break out of the slump. “Credit to him for sticking with it,” Romsek said. “For him, its come full circle and started to fall again.”
Diego Lopez has been a secondary piece of the team all season, and his opportunities have been limited. But when his time has come, he has delivered. He scored the lone run for the Generals in a 9-1 loss against the Vikings on Tuesday thanks to a heads-up steal of home on a throw to second. Today, he drove in more runs than all of his Generals teammates combined.
“It’s a tough role,” remarked Romsek on what he’s asked of Lopez this season. “He shows up every day and has the same routine. He goes about his business and is one of the first ones here every single day. He puts on his headphones and gets locked in. He stays ready for when his number is called. Credit to him for staying ready and hungry.”
Lopez credits his work ethic to his high school days: “We were taught to come in and do what we need to do. I had a team at bat, and you do what you need to do to score.” He also mentioned he has “win” written inside his cap, motivating him to bring his best whenever he takes the field.
The Generals have an off day tomorrow before hitting the road to take on the Lake County Corn Dogs Tuesday at 7:10 p.m.