Young Softball Team has Rough Start to Season

The Stockbridge varsity softball team and coach Don Lockhart entered the season with a very your squad and as expected the Panthers are suffering some growing pains as the young players gain experience.

Not only have the Panthers had growing pains, but they have also fought with Mother Nature as well with several games already postponed due to weather.

They are 1-5 on the season to date with some busy weeks coming up.

Stockbridge opened the season by dropping a 13-8 decision to Dansville.

The Aggies jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the third, but the Panthers fought back with three runs to cut the lead to 7-4.

Dansville put the game away with six runs in the fourth.

Jessica Sparks led the offense with a double and two RBI.

Zoey Horstman, Arianna Smith and Chyanne Lindquist each had a hit and RBI. Melanie Satkowiak added a triple and scored two runs.

Sparks took the loss, striking out eight.

The Panthers ran into a buzz saw in a very strong state ranked Grass Lake team, falling to the Warriors 17-0 and 18-0.

Grass Lake scored eight in the first inning of the opener and cruised to the win.

Laura Humrich had the lone hit for the Panthers.

The second game was much the same as the Panthers could muster just one hit, a Jailynn Nelson single in the game.

The Panthers picked up their first win of the season 6-5 in eight innings over Addison at the Concord tournament.

Stockbridge fell behind 3-1 after two but scored three runs in the fourth to take a 4-3 lead. The big blow in the inning was a two-run homer by Horstman to tie the game.

Addison retook the lead 6-5 in the fifth, but the Panthers tied it on an inside-the-park homerun by Horstman to make it 6-6.

In the eighth, the tiebreaker rule put a runner at second with no one out. Sparks and Horstman walked to load the bases and McKenna Mezo scored on a wild pitch for the walk-off win.

Horstman finished with two home runs and three RBI. Nelson and Smith each had a hit and run scored, and Anya Harden had one hit. Sparks earned the win in the circle with ten strikeouts.

Stockbridge dropped a 6-4 decision to Concord in the finals.

The game was tied at 4-4 after three innings, but the Yellowjackets scored two in the fifth and held on for the win.

Nelson and Sparks had two hits and an RBI each to lead the offense.

Humrich had two hits and a run scored and Mezo two hits. Smith added a hit and RBI and Horstman a hit and run scored. Sparks took the loss, striking out eight.

The Panthers had a rough time with Springport, falling to the Spartans 18-0 and 22-0.

Humrich had two hits to lead the offense. Horstman and Smith had one hit each in the opener.

Madison Rusnock and Satkowiak had the lone hits for the Panthers in the second game.