CHICAGO – Offense was the featured attraction in the Olive-Harvey baseball team’s 2020 season opener as the Panthers pounded out 18 hits, including four home runs, en route to a 15-12 victory against Prairie State College on Sunday afternoon at West Chatham Park.

Leading the way for OHC was Semaj Patterson (Harlan H.S.), who finished 2-for-5 at the plate with a grand slam to account for four of the team’s RBIs.  He also earned the win on the mound after pitching the final 1.1 innings in relief duty, during which time he struck out three.

Sergio Olivares (Macay, Venezuela) and Myles Henry (Crete-Monee H.S.) both hit two-run homers in the bottom of the eighth inning to help Olive-Harvey erase a 12-11 deficit.  The duo also had three RBIs apiece.

Ellis Machin (Caguas, Puerto Rico), who knocked in three runs, Josh Coe (Homewood-Flossmoor H.S.) and Gabriel Cordoba (Merida, Puerto Rico) all had three hits.  Nael Rojas (Dorado, Puerto Rico) contributed two to the hit parade. 

Gabe Adams (Countryside H.S./Clearwater, Fla.) singled and scored the first run of the game on Machin’s double in the first inning.  PSC tied it in the second, but Olive-Harvey struck twice in its half of the frame.  Cordoba led off with a single and Olivares followed with an RBI double.  Henry’s groundout plated Olivares.

The Panthers’ 3-1 lead, however, didn’t last long as Prairie State struck five times in the third inning to go ahead 6-3. 

It would remain that way until the bottom half of the fourth.  Machin singled home Rojas, who had a leadoff base hit, to make it 6-4.  With two outs, Patterson launched a grand slam to left field to give OHC an 8-6 cushion.

After both teams scored once in the fifth inning, the Pioneers deadlocked the game at 9-9 in the sixth.  They also matched each other with two markers in the seventh to keep things even at 11-11.

With two outs in the eighth inning, Prairie State scored the go-ahead run on a bases loaded walk.  But Patterson was brought in to pitch and ended the inning with a strikeout to strand three on the bases. 

Patterson opened the bottom of the eighth with a single before getting retired on a fielder’s choice.  Olivares then launched a two-run blast to center field to give Olive-Harvey a 13-12 advantage.  Rojas and Henry capped off the run production with a double and homer, respectively.

Patterson had little difficulty getting through the ninth inning, striking out a pair and getting a fly out to right field.

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