SOFTBALL: Marion makes PCHS's mistakes hurt

Pinckneyville showed some signs of possible rust on Thursday against Marion, committing three critical errors on defense to allow the Lady Wildcats to escape Greg Hale Field with a 5-1 victory. It was a tied or one-run ball game until Marion picked up three insurance runs in the seventh inning.

PCHS out-hit Marion 6-to-5, but Panthers starter Mariah Clark walked six batters while Wildcats hurler Ally Dunaway walked only one.

"Ally was locked in today, she was hitting all of her spots with all of her pitches," said Marion head coach Joy Martin. "With a really great defense behind her, that's the result that we got today. I'm really proud of each and every one of my girls, they really did put a team-first effort in today."

Clark had given up just one hit and one walk through three innings before the wheels began to come off for the Lady Panthers defensively, leading to extra at-bats for Marion, and extra pitches for Clark.

"We were a little worried, not having played since Saturday," said Pinckneyville head coach Alan Engelhardt. "We were a little rough the last couple days fielding the ball in practice, we were a little rough in warm-ups today, and it translated to how we played in the game. Every time we made a mistake they hammered us on it."

"I thought (Clark) was great early in the game. Late in the game she's thrown more pitches because of the errors, and that's when she got wild. I thought she was tremendous for us early, they really shouldn't have had anything off of her."

Pinckneyville grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third after back-to-back hits by Andrea Morgan and Kylee Kling, but Dunaway and the Lady Wildcats defense made sure that was it for the home team.

Marion tied it up in the top of the fourth after Bayly Adams reached on an error then scored on a single by Delaney Sutherd, then took the lead in the fifth when Morgan Dodd reached on another error and later scored when Kodi Bell grounded to second base for an RBI and a 2-1 edge.

The Wildcats were able to tack on some insurance in the top of the seventh inning. Devon Davis was hit by a 1-2 pitch, Adams reached on an error, and Bell doubled in a run to make it 3-1. Sutherd and Kaylee McNeely then walked in front of a single by Dunaway.

Pinckneyville wasted scoring chances in the fourth (two stranded runners), fifth (runner thrown out at second base) and the seventh (leadoff double) innings.

"We weren't taking our swing at it," Engelhardt said. "She did a good job changing speeds and messing with us, and we just didn't put our best swing on it that we're capable of taking."

Kling (1-3, RBI), Clark (1-2, SAC), Morgan (1-3, R), Emma Banach (1-3) and Josie Gleason (2-2, 2B, SAC) had PCHS's hits. Clark allowed one earned run on five hits and six walks with nine strikeouts.

For Marion, Stacey (1-3, R, HBP), Bell (1-4, R, 2 RBI), Sutherd (1-2, RBI, 2 BB), McNeely (1-2, RBI, 2 BB) and Dunaway (1-3, RBI, BB) hit safely. Dunaway gave up one earned run on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.

Pinckneyville (18-9, 6-4) is at Woodlawn on Friday. Marion improved to 22-2 on the season and has lost only to Herrin and Centralia.