Lady Panthers keep it rolling with Game 1 win, drop Game 2

ECRU – Amory softball has been on a tear for about three weeks. The Lady Panthers kept it rolling Friday, clobbering North Pontotoc 11-0 in five innings in Game 1 of their Class 4A first-round playoff series.

It was the eighth win in nine games for Amory (16-11), with the lone loss coming in extra innings against the area's top-ranked team, Itawamba AHS.

"I think the kids have just realized I'm a competitive person by nature," first-year head coach Curry Freeman said, "and the kids have rubbed off on it a little bit and realized they can go compete with anybody as long as they don't give up. … They're realizing their potential and what they're capable of, and I just hope it continues."

The Lady Panthers started fast as Ainsley Martin belted a two-run double in the first inning. Amory added three more runs in both the second and third.

"I was very glad I could do that so the team could get rolling," Martin said of her double, one of two she had on the game. "That was really big for us."

North Pontotoc (12-8) had runners on base in four of the five innings, but freshman pitcher Janiya Cockerham was able to stymie the Vikings each time. She allowed four hits, struck out five and walked one.

North Pontotoc put runners on second and third with one out in the fifth inning, but Cockerham got a flyout and a strikeout to end the game via mercy rule.

"She doesn't always miss barrels, but she's got a lot of swing-and-miss potential, and she's pitched well over the last few weeks," Freeman said.

Amory finished with 13 hits. Nine-hole hitter Ella Gray had three hits and scored three runs, while leadoff hitter Samone Burdine had two hits and three RBIs. Everyone between those two contributed in some way offensively.

"We hit it well tonight. We had a good game plan coming in, and we're going to try to replicate it tomorrow and move on to the next round," Freeman said.

Extra Bases

Big Inning: Amory collected five hits in its three-run second, including a two-run double by Emily Snyder.

Big Stat: The bottom two hitters in Amory's order, Aleaha Tackett and Gray, combined for five hits and six runs scored.

Coach Speak: "I said when we started this series, somebody's got to win two games. Doesn't matter which ones you win. You've just got to find a way to forget about this, regroup, come back tomorrow and try to play better." – North Pontotoc coach Dana Rhea

Game 2, Saturday: North Pontotoc 8, Amory 7

North Pontotoc won in extra innings to force a Game 3. Samone Burdine went 4 for 5, while Ella Gray hit a triple and finished with two RBIs for the Lady Panthers. Janiya Cockerham tallied eight strikeouts through 7.2 innings.

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