Written and Media by Miguel Fabela
The Greenville College Women’s Softball team swept Iowa Wesleyan in a conference doubleheader at home this past Saturday. The Panthers moved into second place in the SLIAC with a record of 5-1, right behind the two leaders Eureka and Fontbonne, who are both 6-0 in conference play.
In the first game Saturday, Greenville fired up their offense early with a double by Bryn McKie. Later in that inning, McKie advanced to third on a wild pitch to set up the first run. Tiffany Samsoe flied out to right field allowing McKie to tag up and score the first run in the bottom of the first.
The Panthers scored one run in the third inning off of some beautifully placed bunts by Shelby Cash and McKie. Tobi Tobiason then grounded to the pitcher to advance the base runners. Samsoe had a big double, which allowed Cash to proceed to score. GC tried to tack on another one, but McKie was beat out on a play at the plate.
Greenville racked up one run in the fourth and two in the fifth, while not allowing Iowa Wesleyan to score until the top of the seventh. In the top of the seventh, the Tigers scored only one run on the Panther’s defense, giving the first game to the Panthers 5-1.
Catie Opp pitched for GC in the opener, and she dominated on the mound. She had an exceptional performance, allowing only one earned run in the game. Greenville made defensive plays looks effortless as they shut down Iowa Wesleyan.
After the intermission between games, the Panthers came out with even more intensity than the first matchup. The Panthers run-ruled the Tigers 8-0 by the fifth inning.
The onslaught began with a Laney Thacker double to left field. Emi Hug subbed in for Thacker as a base runner. Andrea Martin singled, giving Hug the chance to advance to third and to later score off of a passed ball with Martin sneaking to third. Shelby Cash singled to bring Martin home and put the Panthers up 2-0. Thacker RBI singled to put more base runners in scoring position. (video below)
The Panthers kept the scoring alive with some smart base running, which eventually led to a pitching change by the Tigers. Even with the pitching change, the damage had been done and Greenville scored six runs by the end of the second inning.
The Lady Panthers scored one run in the third and once again in the fifth to complete their short game.
The Panthers play their next conference matchup on Senior Day on Saturday at home against Eureka College at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. This will be an intense battle between two top teams in the SLIAC , so come out and show your support for your Lady Panthers!
