Story By Heath Hambrick

The Collinsville Panthers continued their red-hot start to the 2026 baseball season this past weekend in Northport. The Panthers participated in the “Small Town Showdown” and secured three wins over Oakman, Lee-Scott Academy, and Thomasville.

Collinsville’s open-to-the-weekend game was delayed due to weather in the Northport area, but once the game started, the bats for the Panthers were on fire. Collinsville defeated Oakman 16-5.

The offense for the Panthers was outstanding, collecting 13 hits, 14 RBI, and 16 runs scored.

Collinsville recorded seven doubles in the game. Gavin Lang had two; Mason McAteer, Noah Johnson, Sylas Adams, Brady Jones, and Brantley Daugherty each recorded a double.

Lang went 3 for 4 at the plate with 4 RBI and 3 runs scored. Johnson went 1 for 3 at the plate with 4 RBI and a run scored.

Daugherty earned the win with four and a third innings pitched and four strikeouts.

On Saturday, the Panthers opened the day with a 9-4 victory over Lee-Scott Academy.

After Lee-Scott took a 1-0 lead at the end of the first inning, Collinsville plated eight runs over the next three innings to take an 8-1 lead after the fourth inning.

Lee-Scott added three runs in the bottom of the fifth to cut the lead in half, 8-4, going to the sixth. Collinsville scored its final run of the game in the top of the sixth to extend the lead to 9-4.

Gavin Lang went 2 for 3 at the plate with a homerun in the third inning, 4 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Mason McAteer went 1 for 2 at the plate with an RBI and 2 runs scored; he was also walked three times.

Lang earned the win with six innings pitched and six strikeouts; McAteer got the save with one strikeout.

In the final game of the weekend, Collinsville's pitching was impressive as the Panthers secured a 1-0 victory over Thomasville.

Mason McAteer went 1 for 3 at the plate and scored the only run of the game in the bottom of the first inning. Sylas Adams and Jacob Niles picked up the only other hits of the game.

McAteer earned the win with seven innings pitched, giving up just four hits and recording nine strikeouts.

After the three victories, Collinsville improved to 8-1 on the season. The Panthers have outscored their opponents 58-27 in the first nine games of the season.