The Kingsley-Pierson/River Valley softball team fell in a high-scoring Western Valley Conference matchup with Woodbury Central on Wednesday night in Moville by the score of 13-10.
The Panthers fell behind the eight ball early going down 1-2-3 in the first inning and committing three errors that allowed Woodbury Central to score four runs. The Panthers never gave in though bringing the score within one run many occasions throughout the rest of the game. Head coach Dean Norris says he has come to expect this level of fight out of the Panthers all season.
To come back from four runs down on a couple of occasions, it took a total team effort to even make this one a close game. If a Panther was not driving in as many runs, they were scoring runs, and the same was true in reverse. Coach Norris says the offense is never something he worries about heading into a game.
Woodbury Central’s offense has been a force this season ranking in the top ten in the state in home runs as a team. That did not bode well for Brooklyn Beelner whose pitch-to-contact strategy left some pitches over the heart of the plate that were taken advantage of. Coach Norris says things improved as the game went along both for Beelner and her defense.
Due to weather-related schedule changes, this is the third in a string of five games in five days for the Panthers. They play two more games on back-to-back days to finish the Western Valley Conference schedule before the conference tournament next week. That continues with a matchup against a good Ridge View squad who Coach Norris says will force the Panthers to be on their A-game.
The Panthers dropped to 8-8 on the season and 4-2 in the Western Valley Conference with the loss. The Western Valley Conference tournament begins on Wednesday, June 19.
