Game one of the long awaited season proved to be just what Neosho County Community College softball's program needed. The Panthers had been itching to get some sunshine and play ball and they took advantage of that on their first outing. Freshman
Olivia Cummings had all the right stuff on the mound for game one. She allowed zero runs and bested Barton Community College by a score of 2-0. Cummings pitched the entire 8 innings, struck out nine, and only allowed three hits.
Kirsten Birdwell had a single.
Katie Boline and
Journee Zito had a double a piece to lead the Panthers offensively. Birdwell and
Mallory Gazaway each had an RBI.
Game two of the doubleheader was filled with a little bit more offense for the Panthers.
Kirsten Birdwell was an RBI machine, driving in five on three hits to lead the Panthers past Barton Community College. The big highlight was that all three hits were absolute bombs. Birdwell had a home run in the first, a home run in the fifth, and a home run in the sixth. In the first inning, the Panthers got their offense started when lead off batter
Journee Zito hit a solo homer. Neosho pulled away for good with four runs in the fifth inning on an error, followed by a Birdwell home-run on a 3-2 count. The Panthers notched four runs in the sixth inning, and never looked back. Panthers offense in the sixth inning was led by
Karley Crowe,
Cassidy Paulson, and
Kirsten Birdwell, all driving in runs in the inning.
Cassidy Paulson took the win for the Panthers and had a great outing on the mound. The pitcher allowed six hits and four runs over seven innings, striking out eight. Neosho hit four home runs during the game. The heavy offense tallied seven hits in the game. Birdwell and Zito all managed multiple hits for the Panthers. Birdwell went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead Panthers in hits and RBI's. The Panthers put a complete game together as they played stellar defensively. They did not commit a single error in the field in game two.
The Panthers will look to stay hot as they will travel to Enid, OK to take on the Jets from NOC-Enid. First pitch of the doubleheader will start at 1PM.
