Panthers top Tigers in extra innings
Published 9:05 pm Friday, March 20, 2009
It took an extra two innings of play, but the Lady Panthers finally triumphed over McKenzie 4-3 in softball action on Thursday.
McKenzie tied the game on an interesting play with two outs in the seventh inning.
The Georgiana team thought they had recorded the third strike to end the inning and started off the field when in fact there were only two strikes.
McKenzie’s A.J. Sanford was at third base, and she ran home in a heads-up play.
The Tigers added a run in the top of the eighth, but Georgiana’s Kannesha Nept reached first base on an error with two outs in the bottom of the inning.
Nept later scored on a wild pitch to again tie the game.
Georgiana pitcher Anna Nelson came through with a triple in the bottom of the ninth, and Thelsea Scott drove Nelson in to end the game.
“This was a very fun, hard-fought game,” said Georgiana head coach Michael Spencer. “I’m really proud of both teams. We had eighth graders playing eighth graders.”
Spencer said one of his younger players, Kendra Hamrick, came through in the field for the Panthers.
“She was an alternate, but now she’s a starter,” he said. “She had several solid defensive plays for us.”
“Both teams played very hard, and Sanford came out and gave it all she had for McKenzie,” Spencer added.
Nelson was dominant on the mound for the Panthers, recording 17 strikeouts.
Both teams faced off again on Friday, but results were unavailable at press time.