06/07/2026
Kennedy baseball makes it count, their sixth trip to the finals since 2019 results in another state title after beating Crosshill Christian 13-0 in a 5-inning shutout. Brody Panuke took the hill for the Trojans and wasted no time making the turn to put Kennedy batters up at the plate. And as soon as it started the Trojans quickly got the knocks putting runs on the board. Ahead 3-0 by the start of the second inning both offense and defense were clearly locked in for the Trojans, something Panuke had forecast and commented on after the game. "This was our last time playing together, as seniors, and our plan was to just out and most of all have fun. We've played together since kindergarten and we said let's go out a nd do it for each other, for our family, one last time to give it our all."
And when senior Henry Beyer popped an RBI double late in the inning to make it 4-0 it was clear the Trojans team was doing just that. "After we got out in the first I wasnt sure," Beyer remarked later, "But once we got going I was like 'Oh, this is gonna be good." he said.
And he was right. Big hits from nearly everyone in rotation combined with unfortunate Crosshill errors building momentum for Kennedy as the inning ticked by. Putting runners on with short grounders and sprinting ahead on the steal Kennedys aggressive baserunning proved too much for the Eagle fielders. And well placed drops in the outfield advanced runners home adding up run-by-run to a 7-0 lead by the bottom of the fourth. With no hesitation Kennedy continued to deliver on defense as well, Panuke earning strike-outs, and hustle plays on base to cut down runners. Energized by the effort and control of the challenge Trojan batters stayed focused and kept the steady flow of knocks coming from the bats. A two-RBI double and an RBI single soon made it 10-0, and two more runs on a combined error from a base it made added to a 13-0 margin by the top of the fifth. Panuke would wave off the first two by strike out, and a quick toss at first for out number three capped the day by run rule handing Kennedy the state title.
"I really didnt expect to ten-run them," Beyer added after the game, " We knew they were a good team because of all the teams they've beaten, they looked really good. But this feels amazing, we finally got the gold."
Afterwards it was head coach Kevin Moffat who talked about his feeling on winning another title. "I'm really happy for them," he said, "They've worked really hard and some of them have come such a long way in baseball. We've had some really good practices and so I think I had a feeling they might come out and play this way today." he added. " It's not so much that we won, I mean it's fun, it's great, but it just so good because all of these kids are such good people. They're just really good humans, so great to deal with and coach. You can tell they're gonna go on to do great things."
