Brian McLellan
Published: April 27, 2005
The PJC baseball team fell short of a second consecutive state title on Sunday, losing 9-2 to Panhandle Conference rival Chipola.
Down 4-2 in the top of the ninth, Pirate reliever Phillip Lawhorn allowed two hits and two walks with two outs in the inning, and the Indians scored five runs to take the game out of reach from the struggling Pirates.
“That happens in the state tournament,” Head Coach Bill Hamilton said, “especially when you’re playing someone from your own conference. They find your weaknesses and exploit them.”
The Pirates struggled to find any kind of offensive production, despite four errors by Chipola, and nine hits by PJC. The Pirates left twelve runners stranded in the game.