Lady Panthers take down Wolfe City, 6-5

COMMERCE — The North Hopkins Lady Panthers picked up a hard fought victory Friday, edging out the Wolfe City Lady Wolves 6-5 at Commerce High School. In a competitive game from start to finish, the Lady Panthers managed to hold off the Lady Wolves at the end, picking up a key victory.

The first inning started with Daylee Fite hitting a single. After Stevana Buchanan walked, Lucy Hernandez hit an RBI single, bringing Fite home and giving the Lady Panthers a 1-0 lead.

After Hadlee Hrabal struck out, another runner was gained when Taryn Loyd was hit by a pitch.

Soon after, Buchanan was called out due to offensive interference. Though another runner was gained when Evie Fuentes-Perry was hit by a pitch, the Lady Panthers’ turn ended when Morgan Burnett grounded into a fielder’s choice, where Lyric Moody, who was pinch running for Lucy Hernandez, was tagged out at home plate.

The bottom of the first inning began with a pop out and a strikeout. From there, the Lady Wolves gained two runners on an error and an intentional walk.

On the next at-bat, a 2-RBI triple would give the Lady Wolves a 2-1 lead. A strikeout immediately after closed out the first inning.

The second inning started with Macey Hoelscher grounding out. Two runner were then gained after Fern Hernandez walked and Fite reached base on an error.

The following at-bat saw Buchanan hit a three-run inside-the-park home run, bringing Fern Hernandez and Fite him and giving the Lady Panthers a 4-2 lead.

Another runner was then gained when Lucy Hernandez was hit by a pitch. This was followed by Hrabal hitting a pop fly ball for an out. Despite gaining another runner when Loyd walked, North Hopkins’ turn ended when Fuentes- Perry hit a pop fly ball for an out.

The Lady Wolves went down in order during the bottom of the second inning, following a pair of strikeouts and a fly out.

The third inning began with Burnett hitting a single. Another runner was gained when Hoelscher walked.

On the next at-bat, Fern Hernandez reached base on an error, and Burnett scored, as the Lady Panthers extended their lead to 5-2. The bases would then load up after Fite walked.

Unfortunately, three consecutive outs followed. First, Buchanan popped out into a double play, where Hoelscher was also called for failing to tag up before advancing to home plate. Then, the third out followed when Lucy Hernandez hit a pop fly ball for an out.

The bottom of the third inning started with the Lady Wolves gaining a runner on an error. Later on, a sacrifice fly ball brought home a run, trimming the score to 5-3.

Though the Lady Wolves gained another runner on a single, a strikeout and ground out would bring the third inning to a close.

The fourth inning began with Hrabal and Loyd both hitting pop fly balls for outs. After Fuentes-Perry hit a single, the Lady Panthers’ turn ended when Burnett struck out.

The Lady Wolves were retired in order during the bottom of the fourth inning, as Fite recorded three consecutive strikeouts.

The fifth inning began with Hoelscher being walked. Following this, Fern Hernandez grounded out.

After Fite walked, Buchanan grounded out, but Kenzie Phillips, who was pinch running for Hoelscher, managed to score, extending the Lady Panthers’ lead to 6-3. The Lady Panthers’ turn would end soon after when Lucy Hernandez grounded out.

The bottom of the fifth inning began with a single. Not long after, an RBI single brought home a run, as the Lady Wolves trimmed the score to 6-4.

A sacrifice fly ball on the next at-bat brought home another run, cutting the score to 6-5. Following a single, a ground out and a strikeout ended the Lady Wolves’ turn.

The sixth inning began with Hrabal grounding out and Loyd lining out. Though the Lady Panthers would gain a pair of runners when Fuentes-Perry reached on an error and Burnett walked, the inning ended when Phillips hit a pop fly ball for an out.

The Lady Wolves would go down in order during the bottom of the sixth inning after a ground out and a pair of strikeouts.

The seventh inning started with Fern Hernandez striking out. After Fite hit a single, two outs followed when Buchanan grounded into a fielder’s choice, where Fite was tagged out at second base, and Lucy Hernandez hit a pop fly ball for an out.

The bottom of the seventh inning started with a single. Soon after, the runner was caught stealing second base, leading to an out. From there, a pop out and a fly out ended the game, as the Lady Panthers held on for a 6-5 victory.

As a team, the Lady Panthers batted 6 for 28 (.214) from the plate. Fite led with two hits, while Buchanan, Burnett, Fuentes-Perry, and Lucy Hernandez added one hit each.

Fite was also the leading scorer with two runs. Buchanan, Burnett, Fern Hernandez, and Phillips would add one run each.

Fite earned the victory in the circle. Across seven innings, she struck out 11 batters, allowing only six hits, five runs (two earned), and one walk.

With the win, the Lady Panthers improved to 4-0 in district and 9-3-1 overall. They resumed action Tuesday, welcoming the Bland Lady Tigers to Ruth Long Field.