Lady Panthers Take Third
It wasn’t the outcome the Collinsville Panthers were hoping for when they took the field Wednesday, May 15, at Lagoon Park in Montgomery. Collinsville went 2-2 to secure 3rd place in the AHSAA State Softball Tournament. The Lady Panthers opened the tournament against Leroy. The Panthers stole the lead, late, and defeated Leroy 8-6. Collinsville was down 5-4 in the top of the sixth inning when they scored on a stolen base, during Courtney Baine’s at bat. Then Baine singled, driving in one. The base paths were crowded in this high-scoring game. Collinsville collected ten hits and Leroy had eight.
The Lady Panthers fired up the offense in the first inning. Brittany Rivera drew a walk, scoring one run. In the top of the fourth inning, Collinsville tied things up at four when Caroline Brannon singled on a 3-1 count, scoring one run. Sarah Patton was in the circle for the Lady Panthers. She lasted five innings, allowing eight hits and five runs while striking out one and walking zero. Collinsville totaled ten hits in the game. Baine and Brannon all had multiple hits for the Lady Panthers. Baine led Collinsville with three hits in five at bats. Leroy racked up eight hits on the day.
In their next game, the Lady Panthers defeated Sand Rock 8-4. The Panthers kicked off their offense in the second inning when Rivera singled on a 3-2 count, scoring one run.
The Lady Panthers tallied three runs in the fourth inning. Collinsville batters contributing to the big inning included: Sis Barkley and Rivera, both knocking in runs in the inning. Lily Wills led things off in the circle for Collinsville. She lasted seven innings, allowing seven hits and four runs. The Lady Panthers smacked two home runs on the day. Barkley had a dinger in the third inning. Caroline Brannon had a homer in the third inning. Collinsville totaled 13 hits in the game. Rivera, Brannon, Barkley, and Emily Thrower all collected multiple hits, but Rivera led the Lady Panthers with four hits in four at bats.
While things went Collinsville’s way on Wednesday, Thursday, May 16, was a different story. The Lady Panthers fell behind early and couldn’t come back in a 13-3 loss to G.W. Long. G.W. Long took the lead on a home run in the first inning. Collinsville struggled to contain the high-powered offense of G.W. Long, giving up 13 runs. After a three-run homer in the first inning, G.W. Long scored five runs in the sixth inning. The big inning for G.W. Long came thanks to a single by #00 and a home run by #10. Emily Thrower was in the pitcher’s circle for Collinsville Panthers. She surrendered eight runs on four hits over one and two-thirds innings. Patton threw four innings in relief out of the bullpen. The Lady Panthers tallied two home runs on the day. Barkley went for the long ball in the fourth inning, while Rivera had a dinger in the sixth.
Emma Terrell went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead Collinsville in hits. The Lady Panthers didn’t commit a single error in the field. Barkley had eight chances in the field, the most on the team. Collinsville’s struggles continued with Hatton, who ended the Panthers’ championship run with a 9-1 loss. Collinsville got things started in the first inning, scoring one run when Brannon doubled. Hatton pulled away for good with four runs in the fourth inning. Wills was on the rubber for Lady Panthers Varsity. She surrendered eight runs on five hits over five and a third innings, striking out five. Thrower threw two-thirds of an inning out of the bullpen. Baine, Brannon, Rivera, Thrower, Sydney Skelton, and Anna Henderson each collected one hit to lead the Panthers.