Hancock’s varsity baseball team split their final week of play to close out the 2024 season with a record of 8-11, winning over Turkeyfoot and falling to Smithsburg in their final game.
Last Monday, May 6, the Panthers turned eight hits into 10 runs against the Turkeyfoot Valley Area Rams, toppling the Rams 10-2. Turkeyfoot connected with just four of Logan Hendershot’s pitches throughout the game.
Hancock Junior Blaire Ray brought in three runs, sophomore Tyler Clingerman added two runs and rounding out the scoreboard with one run each were junior Shawn Thomas, sophomore Brooks Norris, freshman Colton Welch, freshman C. Buskirk, freshman Logan Hendershot and junior Logan Trumpower.
Most of Hancock’s scoring came in the second and fourth innings, as they stacked up seven runs between the two, and the scoring continued in the sixth inning with an additional two runs as Hancock pulled far ahead.
Smithsburg’ s Leopards snagged some of the Panther’s glory three days later as Hancock faced off against Smithsburg on Thursday, May 9 and grabbed an early lead they wouldn’t give up, winning 12-2 over the Panthers.
The Leopards turned eight hits into their winning formula, earning four runs in the second inning, then adding two more in the third, and consistently topping off their score each inning but the fifth. Hancock came onto the field with two runs in the first inning, but couldn’t drive any more runs home for the remainder of play. Shawn Thomas and Logan Trumpower contributed the Panther’s two runs.