Thursday's prep softball: Lady Panthers edge defending 1A champs
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Pinckneyville Community High School's girls softball team-it seems-always finds a way to win.
Thursday afternoon on Greg Hale Field, the Lady Panthers scratched out a run in the seventh to edge past two-time defending Class 1A state champion Cobden.
The score was 3-2 as the Lady Panthers entered the brief prom weekend break with a sparkling 26-1 record. Cobden is 17-4 and saw a late one-run lead slip away as Pinckneyville rallied.
"You don't get any medals right now," retiring PCHS coach Greg Hale said. "Its here in two weeks or so when you start the regional. That's when you really start wanting to play well."
Cobden had seven hits against PCHS hurler Sara Malanowski and managed eight safeties versus Lady Appleknockers ace and SIU-C signee Taylor Orsburn.
Pinckneyville scored in the first against Orsburn when Kortney Crawford led off with an infield safety and moved up on Maddy Keith's sacrifice. Mo Ramsey then sent Crawford home with a double to the rightfield wall.
Cobden tied things at 1-1 two innings later on RBI hits from Orsburn and Ana Duda.
Another Ramsey RBI gave Pinckneyville back its lead before Cobden tied the score in the sixth when Taylor Pender smacked a two-out RBI single.
In the seventh, Kortney Crawford reached after a misplayed fly ball and was at second base when Keith won the game with an opposite field single.
"Maddy Keith has really improved her hitting," Hale said. "She's not just a slap-hitter anymore. She can hit the gaps."
Ramsey and Keith each had two hits for Pinckneyville.
A gusty, swirling wind approaching 40 MPH at times made even the most of routine plays nearly impossible.
Several deep fly's-from both sides-were knocked down by the gale.
"Every fly ball was an adventure and some of the hits could have been gone on any other day," Hale admitted.
Hale Field has been very unfriendly to Cobden this season. Of their four losses, three have now came in Pinckneyville. In late March, they dropped games with Johnston City and the Lebanon at the Lady Panther Invitational.
PCHS 3, S-V/W 0
Tuesday, Malanowski three-hit effort paced the Lady Panthers to their 25th win.
Crawford was 3-for-3 at the plate with a triple and solo home run.
Keith went 3-for-4 with Ramsey belting a two-run roundtripper,
"The pitching and defense were very good," Hale said. "Offensively we did play like we had a few days off. We have to be ready physically and mentally every game.