Johnathon Stunkel’s big day powers Putnam County past Woodland/Flanagan-Cornell in 10-5 victory

RURAL STREATOR – The Putnam County Panthers put Woodland/Flanagan-Cornell on their heels early and never let up, rolling to a 10-5 road win Thursday evening at Woodland High School.

Panthers third baseman Traxton Mattingly got the offense going with a two-run double in the first inning.

Designated hitter Cameron Spradling followed with an RBI single, sparking a four-inning offensive burst that saw the Panthers score 10 runs.

Putnam County coach Chris Newsome credited a patient, simple approach at the plate for the Panthers’ offense that produced 13 hits and four walks.

“Just getting to good counts and not missing our pitch – that’s something we’ve talked about since Day 1,” Newsome said. “Today was the kind of up-and-down the lineup production we know we’re capable of.”

Leadoff hitter and center fielder Johnathon Stunkel was a force at the plate, finishing 4 for 5 with a single, two doubles and a two-run home run in the fourth that highlighted a four-run inning that put the game out of reach.

“I was just trying to stay patient and see the ball deep,” Stunkel said. “The wind was blowing out a bit, so I was looking for something I could drive, and luckily I got a few good pitches to hit today.”

Stunkel’s strong performance went beyond the box score, as he also showed out defensively, making a stellar throw from the center field warning track to cut down a runner at second base late in the game.

“He’s just a fun player to watch,” Newsome said. “He’s got one of the strongest arms on the team and loves showing it off. Offensively, he’s been seeing the ball well, and when he gets on base it just keeps things moving.”

As a whole, the Panthers played a clean game defensively, committing no errors despite wind gusts up to 20 mph blowing out to left field.

“Defense is something we take a lot of pride in,” Stunkel said. “Our pitching helps too, limiting walks and producing contact keeps us on our toes, engaged, and enables us to make plays.”

Starting pitcher Kade Zimmerlein earned the win, allowing two runs on three hits over 3⅔ innings while striking out five.

Jacob Furar closed out the game in relief, tossing 3⅓ innings while giving up five hits, three walks and three runs along with five strikeouts.

The Warriors put together a late push with a two-out rally in the seventh inning, scoring three runs, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Putnam County’s early lead.

WFC coach Dan Essman said he felt his team played well but gave credit where it was due, acknowledging Putnam County for its strong all-around performance.

“I don’t think we really did that much wrong. They hit the ball well, and we just gave them too much early,” Essman said. “I thought our guys fought hard. That two-out rally in the seventh shows we’ve got some grit.”

Warriors third baseman Brayden Matsko went 3 for 3 with a stolen base to lead his team offensively, while outfielders Noah Lopez and Reece Pelnarsh drove in two runs each.

WFC starting pitcher Nolan Price was tagged with the loss, surrendering four runs, two of them earned, over two innings while striking out two.

Looking ahead, Putnam County will host Fieldcrest on Saturday, while WFC travels to face Seneca on Monday.

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