Box Score GRAND JUNCTION, Col. – The Neosho County Panthers opened the 2013 JUCO World Series with a classic pitcher's duel. Their second game started out as anything but. The Panthers and Pioneers combined for seven runs including 4 homeruns through the game's first three innings.
 
The Panthers struck quickly to open up the ball game as Connor Goedert, the second batter of the ballgame, blasted a 2-1 pitch over the right field wall to put them on top 1-0.
 
Sophomore Jon Furlong took the ball for the Panthers and responded to the quick lead with an even quicker 1-2-3 first inning, needing only 6 pitches to retire the Pioneers in order.
 
Neosho would add another run in the second after Robbe Ewing led the inning off with a single. After a sacrifice bunt Matt Milner, playing for on the second time in over month after a hand injury, drove Ewing in with a single to extend the Neosho lead to 2-0.
 
Spartanburg would tie it back up in the home half with a two run shot from Pioneer first baseman Collin Steagall. Furlong would bounce right back, however, and retired the next two batters in order to keep the game tied.
 
The Panthers fireworks weren't done. Freshman Colton Crocker led off the third with his first career homerun when he blasted a 3-2 pitch over the left field wall. Connor Goedert promptly stepped up and drilled a ball off the scoreboard in right center and the Panthers lead was back to two.
 
The Pioneers would not go away however as they added another run in the bottom half of the third inning to make the score 4-3.
 
After the teams traded offensive blows for the game's first three innings, pitching and defense became the story of the next 3 innings. The Panthers would strand a runner in the top half of the fourth before Spartanburg went down in order in the bottom half for the games first scoreless inning. Colton Crocker helped make that possible with the first of his two highlight reel catches to rob a hit from Pioneer Shell McCain who was hitting over .850 in the World Series to that point.
 
The Panthers couldn't push anything across in the fifth as Justin Warne was caught stealing to end the inning after leading it off with a single. Spartanburg would tie the game back up in the bottom half. After a leadoff double and a sacrifice bunt put a runner at third base. Crocker would once again make a web gem to take away extra bases, but it would end up as a sac fly to tie the game at 4.
 
In the sixth inning, the Panthers mounted a two out rally. Bobby Wernes walked to get things started before Matt Milner picked up his second hit of the ball game to put runners at first and second, but they would fail to push a run across.
 
The Pioneers went quietly and in the home half and it looked like the momentum of the ball game was starting to swing back in favor of the Panthers. Colton Crocker walked to lead off the seventh inning before advancing to second on Justin Warne's sacrifice bunt. After a pitching change Connor Goedert looked to drive in his third run of the ball game, but lined into a double play to end the inning.
 
The Panthers defense continued to shine early in the seventh inning as Colby Smith took away extra bases to lead off the inning with a diving catch running towards the left field line for the first out. After a groundout it appeared the Pioneers wouldn't threaten, but an errant throw from Connor Goedert extended the inning allowing Champ Rowland to the plate. Rowland's two run homerun would give the Pioneers their first lead of the game, 6-4.
 
The Panthers would get their leadoff man on in the 8^th inning but another base running error would wipe it out as Jake O'Brien lined into a double play.
 
Furlong would head back out to pitch the bottom of the 8^th looking to give the Panthers a quick inning. After retiring the leadoff man, the Pioneers would record back to back singles to chase Furlong after 7.1 innings of work. Jeff Boyd came on for the Panthers to try and keep the deficit to 2. Colby Smith made his second diving catch of night, but it would once again result in a sac fly and the Pioneers extended the lead to 7-4.
 
Furlong would finish the night throwing 7.1 innings while allowing 9 hits and 7 runs, only 5 of which were earned. He didn't walk or strike out a batter. It was an impressive performance with the wind blowing out all night, as the Pioneers had scored 36 runs in their first 2 World Series games.
 
Bobby Wernes got the Panthers 9^th started with a leadoff single, but that is all they would muster off Pioneer closer Cody Mincey.
 
The loss drops the Panthers to the loser's portion of the bracket. They will take on No. 4 Cochise College at 3:00pm Mountain time Wednesday (May 29) in a rematch from their opening game of the tournament.