Monday's Prep Softball: Pinckneyville's record perfect through 12
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A six-run uprising in the sixth inning kept Pinckneyville Community High School's softball record perfect Monday afternoon.
At the Union County Fairgrounds, the Lady Panthers (12-0) rallied past Anna-Jonesboro (11-3) in a battle of perhaps Southern Illinois' top Class 2A squads.
The contest also signalled the start of River-to-River Conference play for both Mississippi Division schools.
Tuesday, Pinckneyville travels north up Route 127 for a visit to Nashville.
"This is a big win on the road against a strong A-J team," Lady Panthers coach Greg Hale said. "We had some clutch hitting. Six of our 10 hits came in the sixth inning."
Pinckneyville trailed A-J and standout hurler Rachel Hayden 2-0 through the first five innings. Starting pitcher Sara Malanowski allowed both runs in the opening frame before Emily Chapman relieved in the second. Chapman (4-0 gave the hard-hitting Lady Wildcats fits the rest of the way, scattering six hits and working out of several jams.
After Lindsay Patterson relieved to start the sixth, Kortney Crawford tripled and raced home on Maddy Keith's sacrfice fly. Mo Ramsey was hit by a pitch and Emily Miller ripped Hayden's first offering for a long three-run homer to leftfield.
Ahead 4-2, Pinckneyville tacked on two more runs with Malanowski's solo homer and sacrifice fly by Taylor Cicardi.
A-J plated two rins in the sixth to trim the margin down to 6-4 and had the game-winning run at the plate when Chapman induced a flyout to end the contest.
"Emily Chapman did a great job coming in to relieve Malanowski," Hale said. Malanowski and Miller had big home runs."
Keith and Malanowski each had two hits for PCHS.
PCHS 6, A-J 5
PCHS 000 006 0-6 10 2
A-J 200 002 1-5 11 0
Malanowski, Chapman (2) and Stanton, Hayden, Patterson (6) and Brush. WP-Chapman, 4-0. LP-Patterson. TOP HITTERS-PCHS: Crawford 1-4 (3B), Keith 2-4 (RBI), Miller 1-3 (HR, 3 RBI), T.Cicardi 1-4 (RBI), Chapman 1-3, Jenkel 1-3, Malanowski 2-3 (2B, HR, 2 RBI), Stanton 1-3.