COLE EIGENHUIS of Benicia steals second base as Napa’s Blake Wickersham leaps for the incoming throw.

“Panther Baseball” is defined as great pitching, great defense and timely hitting. The Panthers lived up to their motto in Friday’s season opener against visiting Napa.

Taylor Greene and Niko Leon Guerrero combined on a three-hit shutout, the defense committed only one harmless error and six different Panthers drove in a run as Benicia High’s varsity baseball team opened its season with a 7-0 victory. The Panthers broke the game open with a four-run third inning and kept Napa off the scoreboard all day.

“We showed what kind of team we are,” said Benicia manager Jim Bowles. “We played really well in all phases of the game.”

Greene took the Opening Day start on the hill and allowed only one hit in five shutout innings. Greene, who walked only one, registered 9-of-15 outs by strikeout and was ahead in the count most of the day.

“He was dominant,” Bowles said. “He threw strike after strike.”

“I was feeling good,” Greene said. “I was throwing strikes and getting ahead in the count and that helped a lot.”

The game was still scoreless with two outs in the bottom of the third when Benicia suddenly erupted. Caleb Van Blake singled in Kyle Sinclair and Cole Eigenhuis followed with a ground-rule double, scoring Ethan Payne for a 2-0 lead. Van Blake raced home on a wild pitch and Alex Osterholt singled in Eigenhuis to make it 4-0.

“That took a lot of weight off my shoulders,” Greene said of the four-run cushion.

Benicia tacked on two more runs an inning later on doubles by Sinclair and Isiah Saguar and a single by Payne. Maurice Calhoun singled in Eigenhuis in the fifth inning to make it 7-0.

Leon Guerrero mopped up with two scoreless innings of relief, striking out a pair to complete the shutout.

“We put up some nice crooked numbers and did some nice things with the bat,” Bowles said. “Defense was good and the pitching was phenomenal.”

Benicia hosts Alhambra on Tuesday.

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