Delgado, Kacer Power Palmetto Past Varela 8-5

Riley Delgado went 2-for-3 with two RBI and Brandon Kacer allowed five runs in a complete-game effort to lead the Palmetto Panthers over the Varela Vipers 8-5 Tuesday afternoon.

In a battle of two aces, Kacer simply outlasted Vipers counterpart Joseph Davis, who was pulled in the decisive bottom of the sixth after allowing four runs in that frame.

“I felt like I could outlast him,” Kacer said. “I knew if I just kept throwing strikes and getting outs, we would outlast them.”

Davis had dealt his team to a 5-3 lead going into the bottom of the sixth, but a series of walks and a pair of wild pitches showed his fatigue.

“The difference in the game was their pitcher got tired,” Panthers head coach Danny Smith said. “He pitched one hell of a ball game. When we saw that, we took advantage of it.”

With their resetting at the start of their half of the six, the Panthers just laid back and dared the 6-foot-2 Davis to throw strikes.

“(Davis) may have deserved to win that game,” Smith said. “But what I like is that we didn’t give up. We made a few mistakes that could have cost us the game.”

The Panthers jumped out to an early lead with three runs in the top of the first. The Vipers crawled back, however, and a sloppy top of the sixth eventually put Varela up 5-3. Kacer had struck out the side, but a passed ball against the last batter on the final strike kept the inning going and an error later made it 5-3 in favor of Varela. That lead was short-lived, however, with the Panthers bouncing back in the bottom of the frame.

“Since (Davis) was throwing so fast, I wanted to stay inside (his pitches) and drive it down the middle” said Delgado about his approach against the hard-throwing left-hander. “If I’m early, pull it. If I’m late, go the other way with it.”

Delgado’s bunt for a base hit and Todd Smith’s second base hit of the day were the only balls in play the Panthers needed for a four-run bottom of the sixth.

“I felt like (Davis) was our best chance to win, so I stuck with him,” Vipers head coach John Barbato said in disappointment. “But he was tired. I should have pulled him earlier. I didn’t, and we paid the price.”

Frankie Rodriguez knocked in a run, and Cris Leon drew a bases-loaded walk for the Vipers, who get a chance to bounce back hosting Southridge at 3:30 p.m. Thursday. The Panthers host Killian, also at 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

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