SOFTBALL: Lady Panthers end three-game skid with win over Sparta

Back-to-back homers in the bottom of the first inning by Maddie Jones and Brooklyn Morrow set the tone for a 12-5 Pinckneyville home victory over Sparta on Thursday, as the Lady Panthers rebounded from three consecutive losses to state-ranked opponents to end their skid.

Already up 2-0 after the bombs by Jones and Morrow, PCHS added on six more runs in the bottom of the second inning, each of them scoring with two outs. Morrow (single), Emma Banach (two-run single), Kearsten Opp (two-run double) and Mariah Clark (single) each had RBIs during the frame which saw ten Lady Panthers come to the plate against Bulldogs' starter Olivia Oathout.

After Sparta chipped away with an unearned run against Morrow in the top of the third, the Lady Panthers went back to work on offense, scoring one run in the bottom of the third, two more in the fourth, and another in the sixth.

The Lady Bulldogs strung together some hits in the seventh to extend the game, but Morrow was able to keep the damage limited. She finished her work in the circle with two earned runs allowed on nine hits and two walks with two strikeouts.

Jones (1-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR, SAC), Morrow (2-4, R, 2 RBI, HR), Banach (3-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B), Opp (2-2, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2B, BB, SAC), Clark (1-2, RBI) and Andrea Morgan (2-4, R, RBI) accounted for the eleven Pinckneyville hits against Sparta.

The Lady Panthers (11-4, 3-2) host Waterloo and Carmi on Saturday before resuming conference play on Monday at Du Quoin.