On Sept. 13, the JV Lady Panther softball team used good pitching, strong hitting, and productive defense to defeat McIntosh in a 4-0 shutout.

Eighth grader Sophia Nellessen led the game with both of the team’s RBIs, one coming from a triple and the other from a sacrifice bunt. She also scored a run of her own. In three at-bats, freshman Kendall Robinson had two hits and scored two runs. Freshman Ashtyn Lally rounded out the team’s strong offensive performance with one hit and accounted for the team’s final run.

“Overall, I wish I could’ve gotten all of the subs in, and given everyone a chance,” junior varsity softball coach Todd Little said. “But with time restraints we had to throw in our best players.”

One of the top players of the game, Robinson, hit a two-out single in the top of the first. The next batter, Nellessen, hit a triple sending Robinson in for the first run of the game. Nellessen scored the second run for the Lady Panthers on a McIntosh error.

After Nellessen scored in the first, the Panther’s second consisted of no scoring, but in the third, Robinson hit a triple on her second pitch. Later in the inning, Robinson scored on Nellessen’s second run batted in. Lally scored Starr’s Mill’s fourth and final run of the game in the top of the fifth.

“We demand them to talk, and it comes from our catcher and pitcher,” Little said. “It starts there and and then spreads out.”

In five shutout innings, eighth grade pitcher Hailey Martinez went up against 21 batters, striking out four, walking three, and only allowing two hits. Martinez threw 62 pitches: 25 balls and 37 strikes.

“The eighth grade class has had some improvements,” Little said. “They’ve stepped up into some key positions, like shortstop. We have some solid leadership from our ninth graders helping them out.”

The Lady Panthers travel to Whitewater on Sept. 20 for another region match-up. The night will start off with junior varsity’s first pitch at 5 p.m., followed by the varsity game at 7 p.m.