By Allen Hamrick
The Lady Panther softball team ended their season last week in a double elimination sectional tournament. In their first game against Braxton, the Lady Panthers and the Lady Eagles battled back and forth with neither team gaining the upper hand. That was until the Lady Eagles scored another run in the 6th inning to make the score 5-7. The Lady Panthers were running out of time – they needed some runs quick. They decided to break out the whipping stick in the 6th inning and started rounding the bases. Once the inning was over, they collected another run to make the game, 6-7 going into the final inning. With some great defense and some great pitching by Gracie Johnson, the Lady Eagles couldn’t advance any dust across home plate in the 7th inning and were shut down. It was time for the Lady Panthers to decide whether to advance or go home. The Lady Panthers started off the inning on fire but got down to two outs with a runner on board. It was time for the moment that all batters dream of. With a runner on base, Rylee Burkhamer stepped up to the dinner plate and did one of the things she does best – hit a ball. She doubled the ball into center scoring Gracie Johnson and put herself into position to score.
With the game all tied up, Jalynn Robinson stepped up and with nerves of steel took a fastball through the gap for a single driving in the winning run. It was a textbook game that all fans appreciated on the edge of their seats. The Lady Eagles played a great game but were sent home. Final score was Lady Panthers 8, Lady Eagles 7. Hoover was up next, and one could see from the start that it would be a long but short game for the Lady Panthers. After winning the first game, the Lady Panthers just couldn’t get their game on track and their bats were silenced by the pitching of the Lady Huskies. The Lady Panthers couldn’t get the runs as the Lady Huskies were swinging for the fences. Errors in the field caused some of the game’s decay, but there were moments in the field that the Lady Panthers shined. However, it wasn’t bright enough, and they lost their game 0-13.
The Lady Panthers were not out yet and took their show on the road to Lewis County. They played a good game but just couldn’t get the runs in. They lost their second game by the score of 1-5. Madison Morton was named to the LKC 1st team, and Rylee Burkhammer, Makenzie Edwards and Jalyn Robinson received honorable Mention LKC. was It was a tough season, but the team is young and will be back next season to rule the diamond. There’s no doubt they will be stronger, and perhaps next year will yield a completely different result. Go Lady Panthers!