Varsity Softball: Massaponax Panthers vs. Chancellor Chargers
By: Greg Wolfe
The Chancellor Chargers (1-4) had a rocky start to their Monday afternoon match-up with the Massaponax Panthers. Once the Chargers got settled in, they tried shifting the tides of the game and came up just short with a 9-8 loss to the Panthers.
In the first two innings, the game seemed to belong to the Panthers. They scored 4 runs off of the Chargers new starting pitcher Taylor Sullivan. The defense showed some struggles, with two errors leading to eventual runs. The Panthers pitcher, Number 12, picked up right where she left off last month against the Chargers and put down the first 8 batters she saw.
In the third inning, the Chargers showed a spark of dominance with a 1-2-3 defensive inning followed by their first hit of the game by Sullivan looking to help her own cause. The fourth inning was less friendly, as errors and walks haunted the Chargers and suddenly they were looking at an 8-0 deficit.
For most teams if they were down 8-0 with only one hit on the board, it would discourage them into a submissive loss. Not for the Chargers.
In the bottom of the 4th, the Chargers strung together three singles and their offense started to heat up. Junior Kenzie Coates struck one of those three singles into the outfield with the bases loaded, and the Chargers were on the board. Lindsay Pett also laid down a sacrifice bunt to pull their deficit down to just 5 runs.
The defense also started to click, and over the next three innings only 1 Panther would score as Sullivan really found her groove and got consistent outs. The outfield, which had a shaky start, didn't make another error and was virtually perfect for the rest of the game.
Sarah Tiller would walk with two outs in the 5th inning, and the Chargers didn't blink as they were able to squeeze in another run thanks to a wild pitch.
In the bottom of the final inning, down by 5, the Chargers showed no fear. Working off some errors from the Panthers this time, the Chargers offense started to really catch on fire.
With bases loaded, Kate Schwinn knocked the ball straight into the dirt in front of her but was able to leg out her way to first base safely after the Panthers pitcher failed to recognize the situation. Then Coates added another run batted in via a hit by pitch, while Pett had a two-run single to follow her. The Chargers had the winning run on second, but despite some hard hit balls weren't entirely able to secure the win.
It was a hard fought game for the Chargers that didn't exactly go their way, but it will go a long way for a team about to start conference play later this week when they host their rivals the Courtland Cougars.
Stat Section
Chancellor Chargers
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