SOFTBALL: Lady Panthers fall to Nashville, split DH at Casey-Westfield

The Lady Panthers split a Saturday doubleheader at Casey-Westfield, winning 6-4 in the nightcap after dropping game one 2-1 in international tie-breaker format after finishing seven innings scoreless. That came a day after Pinckneyville was shut down 7-0 by conference-leader Nashville.

The Lady Warriors' Lexie Black and PCHS's Mariah Clark dueled to a 0-0 standoff before the international tie breaker rule came into play for the top of the eighth inning when Kylee Kling drove in Caitie Opp for the game's first run.

But the Lady Panthers couldn't hang on to the lead, as a single, a sacrifice and an error allowed two Lady Warriors to score in the bottom of the eighth, giving Casey the win.

Kling (3-4, RBI), Maddie Jones (2-4), Brooklyn Morrow (1-4) and Emma Banach (1-3) had Pinckneyville's hits. The bottom five spots in the order combined to go 0-for-12.

Clack gave up seven hits and three walks over seven-plus innings with five strikeouts - and she would see the circle again.

Clark would be called upon to get the last five outs in game two, picking up a save in relief of Morrow in the Lady Panthers' 6-4 victory.

Jones tripled in a run in the top of the third and RBI singles in the fourth by Mayci Doerflein, Kling and Morrow put Pinckneyville ahead 4-0, but the Lady Warriors would respond with four runs on four hits in the bottom of the sixth before Clark took over and limited further damage.

Jones led off PCHS's seventh with a single, then Morrow walked. After a sacrifice by Banach and a groundout RBI by Kearsten Opp, Josie Gleason singled home the insurance run for the Lady Panthers.

Kling (2-4), Jones (3-4, R, RBI, 3B), Morrow (1-2, R, RBI, 2 BB), Gleason (1-4, RBI) and Doerflein (1-4, R, RBI) had hits for Pinckneyville.

Morrow got the win with five and a third innings, three earned runs allowed on five hits and three strikeouts. Clark allowed one hit in an inning and two thirds.

PCHS (18-8, 5-4) hosts West Frankfort on Tuesday, Marion on Thursday.

<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Nashville 7, Lady Panthers 0 (Friday):</span>

Pinckneyville had just three hits and struck out thirteen times against Nashville's Maci Ingram on Friday. The Hornettes slugged a pair of three-run homers - one apiece from Emily Thompson and Deidra Holzhauer - on their way to a 7-0 shutout.

PCHS's only hits came from Kling (2-3, 2B) and Kearsten Opp (1-3).

Morrow (4.2 IP, 5 ER, 3 H, 3 K) and Clark (1.1 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, BB, K) shared the pitching duties for the Lady Panthers.