Kicking off the season in a repeat fashion as last year, but this time in front of the home crowd, the Concordia High School softball team swept Republic County in their double header to start the year 2-0.
In game one, the Panthers won 7-6.
The Buffaloes opened the game up with a pair of runs to take the quick 2-0 lead, but Morgan Lister and Camleigh Hake tied the game up for the Panthers, utilizing good plate discipline in drawing walks and stealing bases.
After a pair of scoreless innings, the Panthers took the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning with Emma Bray coming home on a Catelin Benyshek single to lead 3-2.
Republic County responded with four runs of their own in the top of the fifth inning to take a 6-3 lead, thanks to some Panther errors. But, Concordia bounced back and scored a pair of runs to stay in the game, with Skylah Garst and Layla Aggson scoring on a Lister double to make it a 6-5 game.
After a scoreless sixth inning, Benyshek shut down the Buffaloes 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh. Garst was walked to start the bottom of the seventh inning and scored the tying run to make it 6-6. Aggson got on base right after, before scoring with the winning run by stealing home on a passed ball, to give the Panthers their first win of the season, 7-6.
Benyshek earned the win on the mound, giving up seven hits with 10 strikeouts and zero walks.
Morgan Lister: 1-2 (BB, flyout, BB, Double), Bella Stuber: 0-2 (sac bunt, fly out, BB, K), Camleigh Hake: 1-3 (BB, single, IFR, flyout), Catelin Benyshek: 1-3 (flyout, HBP, single, groundout), Bailey Conner: 1-3 (BB, K, flyout, single), McKayla Cherney: 0-3 (K, BB, flyout, fielder’s choice), Skylah Garst: 0-2 (flyout, K, BB, BB), Layla Aggson: 0-3 (K, groundout, BB, fielder’s choice), Emma Bray: 2-4 (single, single, flyout, reached on error).
In game two, the Panthers won 15-0.
After a quick scoreless top of the first inning for Republic County, Lister got the Panthers on the board with a double, before being brought home on a Hake sacrifice fly to give Concordia a quick 1-0 lead. After Lister handed the Buffaloes a three-up-three-down top of the second inning, the Panthers brought in six runs to blow the game open, with McKayla Cherney, Garst, Aggson, Bray, Lister, Bella Stuber and Bailey Conner all scoring, to make it 7-0.
After three straight strikeouts in the top of the third Concordia’s offense couldn’t continue the momentum, with three outs in four batters. Another three-up-three-down inning for RC gave way to an eight-run fourth inning for the Panthers, with Lister (x2), Stuber (x2), Hake, Benyshek, Conner and Garst all scoring, to end the game early by run rule 15-0.
Lister earned the win on the mound with seven strikeouts and gave up no hits or walks, for a perfect game.
Morgan Lister: 3-4 (double, single, single, fielder’s choice), Bella Stuber: 2-3 (reached on error, double, single, BB), Camleigh Hake: 3-4 (flyout, triple, triple, double), Cate Benyshek: 2-3 (flyout, single, single), Bailey Conner: 2-3 (single, flyout, double), McKayla Cherney: 1-3 (single, K, flyout), Skylah Garst: 0-2 (fielders choice, K, BB), Layla Aggson: 0-1 (flyout, BB, BB), Emma Bray: 0-3 (fielder’s choice, groundout, fielder’s choice).
