Union County Baseball Team off to 2-0 start
By TODD FORREST Sentinel writer

Union County Varisty Baseball team.

The Union County Panthers baseball team is off to a strong start under new head coach, C.T. Hussion. Coach Hussion is looking to rebuild Union's baseball team and instill in them the belief that they can be a competitive team and beat anyone on the schedule. "I am trying to build confidence in our boys and we have taken some major steps in that direction," said Coach Hussion. The Panthers have a good mixture of seniors as well as underclassmen that will make an impact on this season's squad. "We have six players in our starting nine that can run and steal a base although I haven't been able to utilize our speed that much yet," said Coach Hussion. "We've also made some adjustments in some of their swings to add a little more power than what we've had in the past."

The Panthers pitching staff will be anchored by Chaiz George. George is the hardest thrower on the team with his fastball reaching the mid to upper-80's. Right now George appears to be the ace of the staff but Coach Hussion other pitchers that could easily take over the role as the ace of the staff. Eric Seabolt will also see a lot of action on the mound this season. Seabolt is a very solid pitcher who hits his spots well. Blake Gowder is another pitcher who has a fastball that can reach into the mid-80's. Brady McCarter throws in the low 80's and is also very effective at hitting his spots. Josh Walker will also see plenty of action on the mound this season for the Panthers.

Union County Junior Varisty Baseball team.

In the first game of the year, Union defeated SE Whitfield 3-2 in 11 innings on a walk-off homerun by Senior Cody Adams with two outs in the bottom of the 11th.

The Panthers led 1-0 after a solo homerun by Cody Shook. Then in the top of the 7th, SE Whitfield answered with two runs to take a 2-1 lead. However, Blake Gowder doubled in the bottom half of the inning, stole third, and later scored on a passed ball.

The Panther pitching staff took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before allowing their first hit. George started the game and pitched five innings of no-hit ball. Gowder gave Union four strong innings before he was relieved by McCarter in the top of the 10th inning. McCarter went on to pick up the win after Adams' homerun.

Diamond Dig Fundraiser a huge success as Panthers pick up win number 2

On Saturday afternoon the Union County Diamond Club put on The Diamond Dig Fundraiser before the game against Robbinsville, NC. Over fifty local businesses participated in the event which resulted in a huge success. "I would like to thank all the businesses that participated in the Diamond Dig Fundraiser, " said Coach Hussion.

As for the game, it was also a huge success, as Union County routed Robbinsville, NC 14-0 in just five innings. George and Eric Seabolt combined for five innings of no-hit baseball with George picking up the win. Cody Adams supplied the offense hitting a grand slam (his second homerun of the season) and scoring three runs.

George also helped out his own cause at the plate, going three for three and driving in two runs. Ryan Burks also drove in two runs as he went 1- 2.

The Panthers were scheduled to play at Gilmer County on Tuesday but the threat of severe weather has caused the game to be postponed until Wednesday. Junior Josh Walker is expected to get the start on the mound for the Panthers.