Lance Cuddy, Coal City emerge from pitchers’ duel with Dom Panozzo, McNamara

COAL CITY – As the baseball teams from Coal City and Bishop McNamara warmed up for Thursday’s game in Coal City, both saw who the other was giving the ball to as starting pitchers – Lance Cuddy for the Coalers and Dom Panozzo for the Fightin’ Irish – and knew runs would be at a premium.

The Coalers struck first, turning a pair of first-inning walks into a 2-0 lead that Cuddy and the Coalers held onto for an impressive 2-0 victory.

Coal City became the first in the Daily Journal area to reach double-digit wins, improving to 10-1. The Irish dropped to 5-2.

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Coal City's Gabe McHugh swings at a pitch during a home game against Bishop McNamara Thursday, April 3, 2025. (Mason Schweizer)

“We talked about Lance throwing this game, and it probably being for a regional seed and that it would be a big one,” Coalers head coach Greg Wills said. “We thought if we got him some runs he could keep us in it, and he certainly did that.”

The junior southpaw continued his dazzling start to the season for the Coalers, striking out 11 McNamara batters to go with just two hits and no walks in 6⅔ shutout innings. In his third start of the season, Thursday was his second in which he allowed no earned runs, and he’s allowed no more than two runs or four hits in any of them, improving to 3-0.

Kellen Forsythe earned the save by recording the last out as Cuddy got up against the pitch-count limit.

Cuddy said he was able to get the outer half of the strike zone established early and kept the McNamara lineup off balance as he masterfully mixed his fastball, curveball and changeup for strikes. Of his 107 pitches, 71 went for strikes, and he threw first-pitch strikes to 17 of the 24 batters he faced.

“Really early on, I think I established the outer half of the plate really well,” Cuddy said. “I worked ahead in the count really well, too, and I just trusted my stuff from there. It was working really well today.”

He got his run support early as he and Gabe McHugh opened the bottom of the first with walks, with Cuddy crossing the plate on a wild pitch and Gavin Berger’s infield single bringing home McHugh.

Getting that early run support, Cuddy said he felt much more comfortable pitching with a lead after an inning, especially in a game he knew would be low-scoring.

“Especially in the first inning, that helped me,” Cuddy said of the early runs. “I know my boys have my back. ... We knew [a close game] was coming when we knew who they were throwing. We figured it was going to be a close one.”

After walking the first two batters, hitting Connor Henline with a pitch and the infield single to Berger, Panozzo also settled in. He went the distance for the Irish, allowing two earned runs on three hits, two walks and 10 strikeouts.

But by the time that first inning ended, the Coalers had all the offense they needed to continue their stellar start to the season.

“The kids have just played very, very well,” Wills said. “That being said, I think there are still places we can improve. There have been times we haven’t thrown strikes, but I know we will, and plays that we probably should make. But for the most part, we’ve been able to do enough to stack some wins.

“It’s been great.”