MEADVILLE – If the Brookhaven Panthers had any kind of messageto send the host Franklin County Bulldogs Saturday afternoon, theydid it in an offensive way.

The Panthers (11-3) used their strong and expensive sticks inthe second and seventh innings to overwhelm the Dawgs 13-0 behindthe supreme pitching of senior Miguel Banks and sophomore DustyGerald.

The Dawgs (6-6) couldn’t keep the Panthers quiet for long, aftera scoreless first inning of play. The Panthers then used theirsecond inning production of six runs for a Panther-sized lead.Banks led the Panthers the rest of the way, both on the mound andat the plate.

At bat, Banks singled and doubled. On the mound, Banks (3-2)gathered the win with four strikeouts and no walks. Dusty Geraldcollected his third save of the year with three strikeouts and nowalks.

After three straight scoreless innings, the Panthers producedone run in the top of the sixth for a 7-0 lead. The Panthers keptthe Bulldogs quiet in the bottom with quick outs.

The Panthers’ bonanza came in an explosive six run seventh,ending any hopes of a Bulldog comeback. The Panthers then used thepitching of sophomore Dusty Gerald to provide insurance in thePanthers strong road victory.

“We swung the bats really well,” said Brookhaven Panther headcoach Randy Spring. “We hit the ball in the gaps when we needed it.I was basically surprised that we came back and played so wellafter a varsity doubleheader Friday night against Division 6-4Arival McComb.”

For the Bulldogs, longtime assistant Ed Zumbro Jr. addedcomments about how the Panthers bats took advantage of the Dawgsthroughout the game.

“They came in and took it to us,” said Zumbro. “Basically theyhit us badly.”

As for stats at the plate for the Dawgs, four hits were recordedas senior outfielder Derek Buckles led the way with a double andtwo singles, plus one stolen base.

For the hit-happy Panthers, junior first baseman Ben Goza ledwith a pair of singles on a double. Senior shortstop Cayce Wallaceadded a single and a triple. Collecting a single and a double wereBanks and sophomore Justin Sykes.

Suffering the loss for the Bulldogs was sophomore pitcher ColbyBeach with five strikeouts and two walks.

The Panthers, currently on a three game winning streak, willnext play at home against Division 6-4A rival Crystal SpringsTuesday in doubleheader action. The Panthers will begin with a 5:00junior varsity game, leading up to the varsity contest a seven.

Franklin County visits Amite County Tuesday for Division 6-3Aaction.