Ponies, NET split in conference play
The Panola Watchman
3/14/08

MT. PLEASANT - Not taking any chances after running into a little trouble in the bottom of the third, Panola mentor Todd Shelton went to his bullpen to Brandon Wilkerson for some relief.
Working from a 2-0 advantage, the freshman from Arlington delivered nicely to win the opening game, 6-3, of a XIV Conference doubleheader with Northeast Texas.
The Eagles bounced back in the nine-inning nightcap with a combined five-hitter by Stewart and Barber, to win 7-2.
It was the league opener for both clubs. Panola starts 19-7, 1-1 and Northeast is 11-16, 1-1.
The Ponies are in Corsicana Saturday to duel Navarro, perhaps the top team in the XIV region, in their next outing.
The Ponies had the Eagles by short feathers until the last of the seventh.
Ahead 6-0 and with one out in the final stanza, Wilkerson suddenly gave up four successive hits and three runs.
A double play by the middle infield, assisted by Shane Fry and Jared Myrick with the out going to Chase Weir at first to end the game.
Starting first sacker Mason Denson led Pony hitters with two doubles and when Weir replaced him as a runner, he later cracked a two-bagger.
Jon Baker, Shane Fry and Cody Rogers, batting 1-2-3, were each one for three and so was Myrick in the eight hole. Kofi Osei-Aning went  one for two.
Fry belted a two-run homer after Osie-Anning was hit by a pitch in the second.
Denson doubled and Myrick drove him in the third for a 3-0 lead.
In the seventh, Osei-Aning tripled, Jon Baker was hit by a pitch and Fry walked. A passed ball and a wild pitch plated the lead runners and Fry scored on Weir's two-base blast.
Mason Denson took the Panola loss, facing 19 batters and allowing six to reach base on hits (4) or walks.
Reliever Daniel Martin walked just one, allowed two hits and no runs in one and two-thirds innings.
Josh Caperton (no hits), Travis Reagan (no runs) and Matt Holland (no hits, no runs) had their moments doing damage control, but the Ponies' hitters were on R&R.
Weir had two hits and was on board when Denson homered in the ninth, but by then the bus was warmed up for a long ride home.