HANOVER, Indiana – Sam Phillips recorded his fifth strikeout with the tying run on third base in the bottom of the ninth inning to record his first save in a 5-4 Wabash victory at Hanover to secure a doubleheader split against the Panthers. Wabash lost Sunday's opening game 7-6 after Hanover rallied for a pair of runs in the bottom of the ninth to win two of three games in the weekend series.
 
GAME 1 | Hanover 7, Wabash 6
Kamden Earley and Liam Patton each racked up three hits, but the Wabash Little Giants fell to the Hanover Panthers 7-6 on Sunday in the opening game of the doubleheader.
 
Patton's three-hit day led the Little Giants offensively. Earley added a triple, a walk, and an RBI to his three-hit performance. AJ Reid also contributed for Wabash, putting together two hits in five trips to the plate while adding his fifth home run of the season and two RBI.
 
Grant Stratton (1-3) took the loss on the mound for Wabash (10-6).
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
Trailing 1-0, the Little Giants first put runs on the board in the second inning. Wabash plated two runs when Alex Washlock left the yard with Earley aboard.
 
The Panthers failed to push any runs across before the Little Giants' offense got back to their scoring ways the next inning. Wabash scored twice on Reid's two-run homer, which brought the Little Giants' lead to 4-1.
 
Wabash held Hanover without a run before building their lead to 5-1 in the fifth inning. The Little Giants added a run on an RBI triple off the bat of Earley, scoring Patton from first.
 
The Panthers tied up the ballgame at five before Wabash fought back to retake their advantage in the ninth inning. Reid crossed home plate with the lone run of the inning for the Little Giants, bringing the Wabash advantage to 6-5. The Little Giants could not hold the lead, as Hanover scored two times in the bottom half of the ninth to grab the 7-6 win.

GAME NOTES
» The Little Giants got three-hit games from both Patton and Earley.
» Wabash's highest-scoring inning was the third when it pushed two runs across.
» Wabash pitchers faced 37 Hanover hitters in the game, allowing six ground balls and nine fly balls while striking out eight.
» Reid led the Little Giants at the plate, going 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI.
» Hanover was led offensively by Alex Christie, who went 2-for-2 with a home run and an RBI.
 
GAME 2 | Wabash 5, Hanover 4
Sam Phillips struck out five Hanover hitters over four innings of work to help lead the Wabash Little Giants over the Panthers 5-4 on Sunday in the series finale.
 
In addition to his five strikeouts, Phillips tossed four innings, giving up two runs, both earned, on three hits and walking one for Wabash (11-6). Caleb Everson (3-0) also made an impact on the mound for the Little Giants, starting the ballgame and throwing five innings, giving up two runs, all earned, on three hits, with five walks and two strikeouts.
 
Offensively, Earley paced the Little Giants with a double, a walk, and two RBI. Reid also put together a noteworthy performance, going 1-for-3 with two walks. Patton also contributed for Wabash, adding two RBI.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
The Little Giants got the scoring started early, putting one run on the board in the top of the first inning. Reid came across to score Wabash's lone run for the inning.
 
The Panthers then rallied to score two runs and take a 2-1 lead before the Little Giants got back on the board in the fifth. The Wabash offense exploded for four runs, highlighted by a two-run Hanover error off the bat of Earley, which brought the score to 5-2 in favor of the Little Giants. Hanover put two runs on the scoreboard before the game ended, but Wabash still held on for the 5-4 win.

GAME NOTES
» Phillips struck out five Panthers hitters.
» Wabash's highest-scoring inning was the fifth when it pushed four runs across.
» Wabash pitchers limited Hanover to just 1-for-9 (.111) with runners in scoring position.
» Wabash pitchers faced 41 Hanover hitters in the game, allowing eight ground balls and 12 fly balls while striking out seven.
» The Little Giants drew eight walks from Hanover pitching.
» Earley led the Little Giants at the plate, going 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI.
» Hanover was led offensively by Alex Christie, who went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.
» Chris Hautman led the Panthers pitching staff, throwing 7.1 innings of five-run ball.
 
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