SOFTBALL: Lady Panthers 5-0 after weekend sweep
Pinckneyville is 5-0 in varsity softball after a weekend sweep of Okawville, Red Bud, and Breese-Mater Dei, getting a big boost from freshman pitcher Mariah Clark, who worked a total of fourteen innings on Friday and Saturday and didn't allow a single earned run while racking up 22 strikeouts.
"Mariah has gotten better every game," said Lady Panthers head coach Alan Engelhardt. "She's been doing a better job of spotting as we've gone. That's huge for her, because the velocity is definitely there, the stuff's there, so hitting spots has been great for her."
Clark's work began on Friday at Okawville when she threw a shutout with five hits and a walk allowed to go along with 11 Ks and a 6-0 PCHS victory.
Maddie Jones (2-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, BB) had a two-run double during a four-run top of the sixth for Pinckneyville, which also got hits from Clark (1-4, 2B), Caitie Opp (2-4, R, 2 2B) and Andrea Morgan (2-4, 2 R).
Clark was back in the circle on Saturday morning when Pinckneyville edged Red Bud 4-1, scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth after the Lady Musketeers had tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the inning.
Caitie Opp made it 1-0 in the bottom of the third with a bases-loaded walk, but after Jones singled with no outs in that inning, Pinckneyville didn't have another hit until the sixth.
An error allowed Red Bud to tie, then Banach and Caitie Opp walked in front of an error that allowed Josie Gleason to reach, and Kearsten Opp singled to drive in two and make it 4-1 before Clark retired the side in order in the top of the seventh.
Clark allowed five hits and struck out eleven for her second win in as many days. Jones (1-3), Kearsten Opp (1-3, 2 RBI) and Kylee Kling (2-4, 2B) all had hits for the Lady Panthers.
"I thought the first game, especially at the start, we didn't do a very good job of swinging at our pitch," Engelhardt said. "We were swinging at a lot of stuff their pitcher wanted to throw, chasing stuff, and just weren't really disciplined enough. In the last inning, we took a bunch of pitches, got base runners, and Kearsten Opp knocked in two runs in a big situation for us to get some breathing room."
After only getting four hits in the morning game, Pinckneyville clubbed out thirteen runs on eleven hits in their 13-3, five inning win over Mater Dei.
Brooklyn Morrow saw only three strikes in three plate appearances against Red Bud, but she burned the Lady Knights in the afternoon with a 3-for-4 day, double twice and driving in a pair.
"She's going to get pitched around a little bit," Engelhardt said. "That's where the kids behind her have got to understand that they're going to get stuff to hit with runners on base because people aren't going to throw to her. When they threw to her, she made them pay for it. She's got a special ability to hit the ball hard, that's for sure."
Another PCHS freshman, Josie Gleason (3-3, 3 RBI), added had three hits for the Lady Panthers. Kling (1-4, R), Jones (1-2, R, RBI, 2 BB), Banach (2-2, 3 R, 2B, BB) and Morgan (1-2, R, 2 RBI, BB) had hits against Mater Dei as well.
Caitie Opp drove in two runs and scored a third to make her two-game stat line for Saturday 0-for-1, 2 R, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 2 SAC.
"She hits two doubles yesterday, then comes back today and is smart enough to take pitches and get on base," said Engelhardt. "When the situation called for it, she hit a sac fly to right field. She is a really heady player and it shows up."
Pinckneyville hosts Wesclin on Monday.