Gowanda senior Blake Herman delivers a pitch during Monday’s CCAA Division 3 baseball game at Falconer. P-J photo by Scott Kindberg

FALCONER — Fred Carder had first grown to appreciate the baseball talents of Blake Herman two years ago when the former was a coach for the host team in the Babe Ruth 13-15 World Series.

Now the head coach of the Falconer varsity, Carder got another up-close-and-personal view of the talented senior from Gowanda on Monday.

This time from the opposing dugout.

Herman was even better this time around.

The Canisius University-bound pitcher/catcher collected two doubles and a triple, drove in four runs and scored two more. On the mound, he worked five-plus innings, surrendered one hit, walked four and struck out nine to lead the Panthers to a 14-1 victory over the Golden Falcons in a Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 3 game at Denny Meszaros Field.

The win improved Gowanda’s record to 13-2 overall and 11-0 in the division, while the Golden Falcons dropped to 7-4, 6-4.

The Panthers didn’t take long to build a comfortable lead, plating six runs in the top of the first inning, during which they sent 12 batters to the plate and took advantage of two errors and four walks off Falconer starter Gavin Curtis. Highlighting the rally were a two-run triple by Carter Capozzi and two-run doubles by Jayden Fish and Herman.

Gowanda added a run in both the third and fifth innings, courtesy of Herman’s RBI triple and RBI double respectively; two more in the sixth on Madden Lay’s double; and four more in the seventh, highlighted by Capozzi’s two-bagger.

Falconer’s lone hit off Herman — an infield single by Austin Pfeiffer — came in the third inning. Pfeiffer later came around to score on a wild pitch.

If truth be told, however, the outcome wasn’t really in doubt after the Panthers’ six-spot in the top of the first, thanks to Herman, who was relieved after issuing a leadoff walk to open the sixth inning. Gowanda coach Tim Smith brought in reliever Kyan Austin, who didn’t allow a run.

Besides Herman, Gowanda’s offense was led by Capozzi with a pair of doubles and three RBIs. Meanwhile, the Golden Falcons’ other hit was a seventh-inning single by Colton Rhinehart.