For the second time this season, the Park Rapids fastpitch softball team rebounded from a tough loss to salvage a Mid-State Conference split.
In the season opener, Staples-Motley scored six runs in the seventh inning to rally for a 17-16 win. The Panthers rebounded to win the second game 6-4.
On Tuesday, Detroit Lakes scored five times in the seventh inning to rally for an 8-7 win in the first game. The Panthers regrouped from that loss to earn a split with a 10-9 win in the second game.
In the opener, the Panthers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning on RBI doubles by Ashley Domino and Ashley Thelen.
After Detroit Lakes tied the game in the fourth, the Panthers used Lauren Naeve's RBI single and sacrifices by Alyssa Carlson and Anna Grimes to take a 6-3 lead in the bottom of the inning.
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Doubles by Lexi Burlingame and Katie Just pushed the lead to 7-3 in the sixth before the Lakers used four hits and two walks to score the winning runs in the seventh.
Singles by Bailee Jerger, Thelen and Naeve loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the seventh, but the Panthers couldn't produce the tying run.
The Panthers pounded out 13 hits with Thelen and Naeve each going 3 for 4 and Jerger going 2 for 3. However, the Panthers had two runners thrown out at the plate and another thrown out at third. Olivia Vaadeland took the loss.
In the second game, the Panthers pounded out 16 hits and held off a late Lakers' rally to gain the split.
A six-run first inning set the tone. Vaadeland's bases-clearing double, Grimes' RBI single and McKenna Brand's two-run double sparked that inning.
Singles by Jerger, Domino and Grimes gave the Panthers an 8-2 lead in the second.
Singles by Jerger and Grimes and two errors led to two more runs in the fourth as the Panthers claimed a 10-2 lead.
Detroit Lakes scored five times in the third and once in the fifth to make it 10-8 before loading the bases with no outs in the seventh. A walk brought in one run, but Jerger struck out the next two batters to preserve the win.
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Jerger went the distance for the win and led the offense by going 3 for 4 with three runs. Grimes also went 3 for 4 with three RBI while Vaadeland went 2 for 4 with three RBI. Domino went 3 for 4, Brand went 2 for 3 and Just went 2 for 3.
The split gave the Panthers a 5-3 record in conference games and a 6-4 overall mark. Detroit Lakes is 4-2 in the conference and 5-2 overall.
Errors lead to loss at Sebeka
Ten errors led to seven unearned runs as Sebeka defeated the Panthers 13-3 in five innings Monday.
Carlson singled and scored in the first while singles by Domino, Vaadeland and Thelen led to two runs in the third as the Panthers were held to only six hits.
Jerger started and took the loss as Sebeka improved to 3-6.
