The EP varsity softball team came from behind Friday afternoon to down the visiting Hall Devils 4-3 on a beautiful 72 degree day in Prophetstown. The weather is mentioned because of all the bad weather days they’ve played in this spring.
EP got on the board in the bottom of the first as the battery of catcher Hannah Ryan’s single to left field drove in pitcher Wynn Renkes with the first run of the game.
Neither team scored in the next three innings and after a single to start the Devil fourth, Panther outfielders Alyssah Padia and Paezleigh Hudgin make two outstanding running catches to deny Hall from getting on the board.
The Panther also threatened in the fourth on singles by Isabella Olvera and Hudgin and a hit batsman of Jaylynn Hamilton loaded the bases. A strikeout ended the inning and kept EP up 1-0.
Hall got things going in the fifth. A single and a Panther error on a bunt put two base runners on and a solid single to center plated two Devil runners. A third unearned run scored on an infield single later to make it 3-1 Hall after five innings.
In the Panther sixth, the girls finally got their timing down against a slower velocity Hall pitcher. Two walks started the inning and one of those runners scored on a wild pitch. Leadoff hitter Jaylynn Hamilton then lined a single to left driving in Ava Grawe with the tying run before a line out ended the inning.
Reliever Ayden Klendworth set Hall down in her second 1-2- 3 inning to set the stage for a Panther walk off victory.
Renkes starting the inning coaxing a walk. Ella Brooks was inserted as a pinch runner and she used a delayed steal to move to second before Ryan lined a single to center scoring Brooks and sending the Panther fans home happy.
Renkes pitched the first 5 innings allowing just 4 hits, walking 1, striking out 2 and allowing 3 unearned runs. Klendworth got the win with her 2 innings of work allowing no base runners.
Isabella Olvera had a pair of hits along with teammate Hannah Ryan who also added two RBIs.
The Panthers are now 6-3 in the conference and 12-9 overall. They travel to Orion Saturday for a 10AM contest before returning home Monday to face Mendota at 4:30 in Prophetstown.
