Highland, Ind. – July 9, 2023 – A back-and-forth game ended in defeat for the Southland Vikings on Sunday as they fell to the Indiana Panthers 10-4 in a game that saw three different lead changes.

The Vikings scored first with a run in the opening inning on an RBI groundout by Jorgie Vazquez to score Jack Fitzharris.

The Panthers then took a 3-2 lead in the third inning on back-to-back sacrifice flies by Jason Krol and Keven Bushnell, only to see the Vikings answer right back with two more runs of their own in the top of the fourth to make the score 4-3.

The Panthers took the lead for good in the fifth inning on a two run double by Nick Signorelli in the fifth inning and broke it open on a three-run homer by Horacio Cabrales in the seventh after the Vikings had battled back to within a run.

The Vikings were forced to play with men out of their natural positions for the second straight game as Shemar Harris and Ty Chaney Jr. made their catching debuts for the Vikings.

“I’m not really going to look back on these past two games,” manager Sullivan Stickann said after the game. “We only had one pitcher today and no catcher. Yesterday we had three infielders in the outfield. So, it’s tough, but there’s not much that you can do.”

One positive from the game was Connor Janik who had four hits with an RBI and a run scored.

The Vikings (17-16) will enjoy a day off on Monday before looking for revenge as they host the Panthers (14-18) on Tuesday at Dowling Park. First pitch is at 5pm.