By JIMMY WALLS
Contributing Writer
If you want to see some thrilling action, come out to the Lady Panther softball complex to watch Shayla Owens and all her star team mates deliver on the field. Seems as if every game there is someone different leading offense with Shayla and Megan Brumfield mowing them down from the mound.
On Saturday, LCHS took on the Logan Lady Wildcats, and what a battle it was. Nine innings of nail-biting action, with great defense and strategy galore, as Lincoln County got one run on nine hits and no errors. Logan had no runs on four hits and no errors. Ali Neace, Logan's ace, gave up one run on nine hits and struck out 10 batters, while Owens was ringing up 18 batter and giving up four hits and no runs.
The first inning had Taylor Norman getting the first Logan hit, a single, but she couldn't score. Alyssa Cook came back in the bottom of the inning with a single to match Norman but was also left on base. Owens set down the side in the top of the second and the Lincoln County bats started to come to life.
Melanie Midkiff tripled to start the inning, followed by a Haley Bills single, but Neace and the Logan defense didn't allow a run to score.
In third, neither squad could mount an offense and Logan got some action from Katie Chryssofos, as she reached on a walk. She was thrown out at third, later in the innings, as Laura Sedlock and Allie Neace reached on Fielders' choices, but no runs could cross the plate against the tough Panther defense.
Lincoln County got a single in fourth from Melanie Midkiff and one in fifth from Elizabeth McCoy. Logan threatened in sixth, as Sedlock doubled off Owens and tried to score on a single by Neace, but she was shot down at home plate to twart another threat from the Wildcats.
Aleks Lawson and Megan Brumfield added singles in the both of sixth, but couldn't be plated, either. On to the seventh, where neither squad could get any offense.
In the eighth, Logan couldn't place any runners on bases, but Lincoln got another threat, as Lawson doubled and stole third to be the winning run. Logan, once again, relied on their defense and Lawson was left stranded at third, with no score. Owens was bringing the heat in the ninth and flamed the Logan offense. For Lincoln County, it was Senior Melanie Midkiff getting things started, with a single. Coach Estep started playing strategy and had Bills bunt to move Midkiff to second and in scoring position. Amanda Salmons hit a grounder for a fielders' choice, as Bills was forced at second with Midkiff moving to third.
Another ball in the infield from McCoy, toward second, where they put out Salmons, with Midkiff still frozen on third with two outs. Slap Happy Morgan Hutchinson came to the plate from her usual left side and took one down the line with her. The play was at home to try to get Midkiff, but her blazing speed and uncanny desire to win allowed her to beat the throw, giving the Lincoln County Lady Panthers a whale of a win for their program.
Earlier in the week, Shayla Owens tossed her third no-hitter, as the Lady Panthers took on Nitro, as their record goes to 20-4. Lincoln County got all they needed in first, fourth and fifth innings. In first, Morgan Scarpellini singled and scored on a double by Lawson, who scored on a single from Brumfield. Brumfield scored on a single by Bills to make it 3-0. Salmons singled in fifth for the only runner, but in fifth, Cook and Brumfield reached on errors and Midkiff double to score both of them for the final score, 5-0.
Lincoln County also ousted Spring Valley with Owens recording another shut out by a score of 5-0. She tallied 14 strikeouts, one hit and two walks. Hutchinson, Scarpellini and Lawson loaded the bases in third and Midkiff to left field fence to clear the bases. Bills singled to score Midkiff, making it 4-0. In sixth, Hutchinson singled, her third in a row, and Lawson, Brumfield and Cook walked to get her in for the final run. With two out and a no-hitter on the line, Brittany Blanton hit a bloop single to end the shut out, but they didn't score.
Owens did get her second no-hitter of the year against Winfield on Tuesday at home. She pitched for 10 strike outs and the team had three errors with Emily Garretson taking the loss for Winfield, giving up 11 hits and striking out three Panther batters. It was the bats of Scarpellini, Salmons, Brumfield, Midkiff, McCoy, Lawson and Bills that did most of the damage, with Shafer and Cook adding additional hits.