The Crestwood Panthers got back to the .500 mark on the season with an 11-4 win over the NWI Oilmen in what Coach D’Vante Glenn considers a team win.

“We did all the things we needed to do in order to win that game,” Coach Glenn said.

The Panthers led the game from the first inning onwards after Connor Janik scored when Adrian Sweich was hit by a pitch in the first inning. In the third, Crestwood put three more on the board on an RBI single by Aydin Wright, and a two RBI single by Alex Las  Malik Staples making it a 3-0 Crestwood lead.

Wright and Las would team up again in the fourth as Wright would walk in a run with the bases loaded, and Las would have his second two-out two RBI single. A wild pitch in the Las at-bat made it an 8-1 Panthers’ lead. Nico Pena and Connor Janik would add RBI hits of their own, and another wild pitch was the story of the Panthers’ offense.

Las finished the day with four hits in four at-bats with four RBIs. Las came into the ballgame as a pinch hitter after Malik Staples was injured in the middle of his at-bat in the fourth inning.

“He [Las] came through in big moments,” Coach Glenn said, “He came up with confidence.”

The Panthers needed only two pitchers to get through the day in Justin Scassburger and Jacob Cook. Schassburger gave up only two earned runs in 5.2 innings of work, and finished his day with a timely double play ball with the bases loaded in the sixth. Cook earned the save striking out six in 3.1 innings of relief.

“Jake [Cook] has his amazing changeup, and Justin [Schassburger] has his velocity and offspeed,” Coach Glenn said, “Those two guys are hard to hit, especially together.”

The Panthers return to Dowling Park on Thursday at 5:00 pm to face off against the Southland Vikings. Crestwood is 1-1 against the Vikings so far this season.