Softball Has Busy Week with Nine Games

A couple of rain outs and the shortened season due to the Covid pandemic is leaving the Stockbridge softball team with a busy schedule as the Panthers played nine games last week.

The Panthers opened the week by sweeping Whitmore Lake 13-2 and 18-3.

Stockbridge jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first and the lead grew to 7-2 in the third and they never looked back.

Arin Szumlinski led the offense with two hits and two RBI, while Hannah Lockhart and Joslynn Caskey each had two hits and an RBI. McKenzie Noble had a hit and scored two runs, Makayla Surline, Madi Mazuca, and Alexis Hightower a hit and RBI each. Bailey Bartrum struck out 13 for the win on the rubber for the Panthers.

The Panthers scored 13 runs in the first two inning and cruised to the win in the second game.

Caskey had a big night with two hits and five RBI to lead the offense. Surline had a hit and two RBI, Hightower, Lockhart, Bartrum, Lillian Thomas, and Mazuca each had a hit and RBI. Lockhart struckout four and earned the win pitching.

Stockbridge then swept Bath 12-1 and 15-5.

Noble led the offense with three hits and two RBI and Mazuca had a big game with three hits and one RBI. Ashlee Grumelot picked up three hits and scored two runs, Surline two hits and three RBI, Lockhart two hits and two RBI, and Caskey two hits and one RBI. Bartrum struck out 18 for the win.

Szumlinski had a huge game in the nightcap with a homerun, triple and two singles and drove in four runs to lead the Panthers.

Noble had three hits and three RBI and Mazuca two hits and three RBI. Surline chipped in with three hits and an RBI, Hightower two hits, Lockhart, Bartrum, and Thomas a hit and RBI each. Lockhart struck out seven for the win.

The Panthers then took a pair of games from Dansville 12-0 and 5-4.

Bartrum struck out 12 and allowed just three hits for the win in the opener.

Hightower led the offense with three hits and three RBI. Noble had three hits and one RBI, Szumlinski two hits and two RBI, and Mazuca a hit and two RBI. Lockahrt had a hit and three RBI, and Caskey a hit and RBI.

The second game came down to the final at bat as the Panthers pulled out the win with a walk-off double by Szumlinski. Dansivlle rallied for three runs in the sixth to tie the game at 4-4. Casket singled to start the bottom of the seventh and Lockhart reached on an error to put two runners on. Szumlinski then ripped a double to plate Caskey with the game winner.

Szumlinski finished with two hits and an RBI, while Caskey had two hits and two RBI. Noble added two hits, Hightower a hit and RBI, and Mazuca and Grace Burg a hit and run scored each. Bartrum earned the win by pithing the 7th and striking out two. Lockhart struck out 10 in six innings of work.

The hosted the Stockbridge Invitational Saturday and appeared to run out of gas as they dropped two of three games with both losses coming in the last at bat.

The Panthers opened with a 6-2 win over East Jackson.

Mazuca collected two hits to lead the offense. Surline had a hit and two RBI and Bartrum and hit and RBI.  Bartrum struck out 15 to earn the win.

Stockbridge then dropped a heartbreaking 8-6 eight-inning loss to Hanover Horton.

The Panthers led 4-1, but the Comets scored three in the sixth with a pair of homeruns. Hanover then scored a run in the top of the seventh to take a 5-4 lead.

After two were out in the bottom of the seventh Bartrum walked and Surline doubled to drive her in and tie the game at 5-5 to send it to extra innings.

In extra innings the teams put a runner on second to start the inning and the Comets took advantage and scored three times to take an 8-5 lead. The Panthers would score one in the eighth but could not push anymore across and took the loss.

Szumlinski hit a a home run and finished with two hits and two RBI. Surline and Lockhart each added a hit and RBI.

The Panthers then fell to Bad Axe 6-5 in six innings as the time limit expired before the seventh could be played.

Caskey and Lockhart each had two hits and two RBI to lead the offense. Noble had two hits and two runs scored and Grumelot a hit and RBI.

The Panthers are now 12-5 overall on the season. They take on Maple Valley in a three game series this week.