Great Bend Post
The drive home from Liberal is already a long one. After the Lady Redskins scored five runs in the fourth and fifth innings of Monday's single varsity softball game against Great Bend, the drive was looking a little longer. The Lady Panthers answered with a run in the sixth, and freshman Katherine Mazouch doubled and circled the bases as part of a five-run seventh to steal an 8-7 win. Great Bend moves to 7-6 on the season.
That single run in the sixth proved to be a big one. Mazouch came up big late with a two-out single in that frame. She came around to score on a double from Kamryn Koelsch.
Paige Thexton opened the seventh with a single. She was thrown out on a fielder's choice off the bat of Rylee Prilling, but that allowed Prilling to stay on the basepath. She came around to score on an RBI-groundout from Analiz Rivas. DeShawnna Bryant and Rylie Duvall followed with singles, then Denver Ringo was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs. That's when Mazouch cleared the bases with a hit to center field and a pair of errors for an 8-6 Lady Panther lead.
Liberal threatened in its final at bat, scoring on a passed ball to get within one before Braelyn Turner provided the final strikeout of the game with the tying run still at third base.
Mazouch and Bryant each provided three hits in the win. Mazouch had the double, driving in four and scoring once. Bryant tripled and scored twice. Thexton singled and doubled with an RBI.
Thexton pitched the first three innings, allowing one earned run on four hits while striking out two. The Panthers led 2-1 when she left the game. McCauley pitched into the seventh inning, allowing four earned runs on eight hits with a strikeout in her 3.2 innings of work. Turner recorded the final out.
The Lady Panthers are scheduled for single JV and varsity games against Garden City Tuesday, weather permitting.