By Luther Dorr

The eight-game winning streak of the Princeton Panthers ended last week but the Panthers got a new streak going by winning their next two games.

Lefty Brian Lind of the Isanti Redbirds beat Princeton 3-2 here Tuesday night to end the streak.

The Panthers came back with an 11-8 win over Hinckley here Wednesday night and then knocked off Pine City, who was leading the North Division and had won six games in a row, 12-2 in seven innings here Friday night.

After playing at Isanti on Tuesday of this week, the team has home games Friday at 7:30 against Cambridge and Saturday at 2 p.m. against Quamba, and then plays at Isle Sunday at 2 p.m.

Princeton is 12-4 for the season, 10-1 in league play.

Isanti

The tough-luck loser for the Panthers was Eric Deglman who threw 103 pitches while going the distance, giving up only two earned runs.

A two-out single gave the Redbirds their first run in the third inning but Princeton tied it in the fifth on a two-out single by Dane Larsen that scored Jesse Donner who had singled with one out. The Panthers left the bases loaded in that inning.

Isanti scored runs in the sixth and seventh for a 3-1 lead, the seventh ending with center fielder Chad Carling making a good catch and then doubling off a runner trying to go to third base.

Princeton scored a two-out run in the ninth after Ryan Carling led off with a single.

Hinckley

The Panthers pounded out 16 hits in the come-from-behind win.

It was 2-2 in the third when the Knights took a 5-2 lead on three unearned runs.

Starting pitcher Jason Miller, who got the win, singled in a run in the third and then drove in a run in the fifth as the Panthers scored twice to tie the game.

A three-run sixth gave Princeton the lead for good at 8-5, two-out RBI singles by Larsen and Brian Dorr scoring the last two runs.

Reliever Todd Muckenhirn had control problems, walking the four batters he faced in the eighth, and Jesse Zimmer relieved and pitched out of a jam but Hinckley scored three times to make it 9-8.

The Panthers scored twice in the eighth, Zimmer (4-for-4) and Dorr getting RBI singles and Zimmer raising his average to .500.

Pine City

It was 0-0 after four innings, Pine City veteran lefty Ted Hasz facing only 12 batters the first four innings.

The Pirates, on a six-game win streak that got them the division lead in the Eastern Minny with a 10-3 record, scored two runs in the fifth for a 2-0 lead.

Tony Stay led off Princeton's fifth with a double but Hasz had two outs and a 3-2 count on Panther manager Curt Wilson. Wilson got a two-run single, an error followed and that opened the flood gates.

The Panthers scored eight runs, all with two outs, and the game ended after seven innings because of the 10-run rule.

Zimmer had a two-run single in the inning.

Ryan Carling, who had a sacrifice bunt in the eight-run inning, had a two-run single later in the inning and drove in three runs for the game. Brother Chad also drove in two runs, ending the game with a two-run double in the seventh.

Pitcher Luke Bakken found a cure for previous control problems and pitched a five-hitter, walking only one and striking out seven while throwing 77 pitches.

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Princeton Union-Eagle
P.O. Box 278
Princeton, MN 55371
Telephone: 763-389-1222
Fax: 763-389-1728