On a day when the Panther Valley baseball team honored its seniors, the Panthers doubled their pleasure with a 12-2 victory over visiting Mahanoy Area.

Needing just five innings to end the game, Panther Valley relied on the hitting of Danny Wehr, Kaden Koerbler, Carson Jones, Derek Lazar and Cameron Cooper. The five players combined for nine RBIs, highlighted by several doubles. Brody Breiner also contributed with three hits and earned the win on the mound, while Wehr and Lazar each added two hits.

“We were a young team coming into the season. We had only three players with any experience returning, but these kids battled hard all season,” Panther Valley manager Rich Evanko said.

Breiner was strong throughout. He allowed six hits and two runs while striking out eight.

“My fastball had some hop on it, but I hung a few breaking pitches,” said the senior, who is headed to Ursinus next fall to play baseball.

Wehr, who drove in three runs, said he felt comfortable at the plate.

“I was seeing the ball really well today — see the ball, hit the ball,” Wehr said.

The Panthers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when both Wehr and Breiner walked, and Koerbler doubled home the game’s first run.

Panther Valley broke the game open in the second inning, collecting four hits and sending nine batters to the plate. Cooper walked, Peter Kruslicky singled, and Mike Mazzie bunted both runners into scoring position. Wehr followed with a double, Breiner added a hit, and Jones singled home two more runs.

Mahanoy Area scored in the second inning when freshman Colton Wagner doubled, and Damian Contreras followed with an RBI single. The Golden Bears added their final run in the fourth, when Brody Noraka singled home Derek Alvarado.

Panther Valley added another big rally in the third, sending 11 batters to the plate and scoring three runs. Lazare doubled, and Cooper, Mazzie and Wehr drew walks to help fuel the rally and extend the lead to 10-2.

“I thought Brody (Breiner) threw well. He had his fastball working,” Evanko said.

The game ended with a two-out rally. Lazare singled for his second hit, and Cooper followed with a deep double to left field to score him. Kruslicky was hit by a pitch, and Mazzie reached on an error, allowing Cooper to score the final run.

“I tell these kids to throw strikes, put the ball in play and make fewer mistakes than the other team,” Evanko said. “There are hits, there are runs and there are errors — you just have to make fewer than the other team.”

EASY PEASY ... “Look, baseball is a game of failure; you’re going to fail 7 out of 10 times and be considered a very good player,” Evanko said on how success comes in the game.

TOSSING IT ... Breiner finished with 86 pitches, throwing 56 for strikes.

THEY DID IT ... Joe Rick led Mahanoy Area with two singles. Wagner had the only extra-base hit, a double. Noraka, Contreras and Alvarado each added a single.

Mahanoy Area 010 10 - 2 6 1

Panther Valley 140 52 - 12 11 1

Zilker, Rodriguez (4), Alvarado (4) and Gambone; Breiner and Koerbler. W - Breiner. L - Zilker.

Records: Mahanoy Area (2-12); Panther Valley (5-11).