By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
With a 7-1 lead after four innings, the Lady Panther softball team appeared to have things under control Tuesday evening at the Great Bend Sports Complex. Then a track meet broke out. Dodge City scored six runs over the next two innings. Great Bend answered with five more runs in the same stretch. The result: a 12-7 Lady Panther win to move to 4-3 on the season.
Braelyn Turner was mostly cruising into the sixth inning. The freshman struck out 11 before handing the ball over to fellow freshman Alyssa McCauley. Turner allowed six earned runs on nine hits with six walks. McCauley held the Red Demons hitless for five outs, including three strikeouts.
Paige Thexton singled and scored on a hit from DeShawnna Bryant in the first inning. Dodge City tied things up in the third. Analiz Rivas doubled to open a big fourth inning, then Denver Ringo, McCauley, and Lauryn Davis each singled in what became a 6-run fourth.
Along with the big finish in the circle, McCauley homered and single to help the cause with a pair of RBIs and two runs. Paige Thexton singled three times, driving in two and scoring twice. Bryant singled and doubled. The Lady Panthers banged out 13 hits while striking out just five times.
Great Bend will square off against the Red Demons again, this time for a double-dip in Dodge City Thursday.