PANORA — Softballs were flying all over — and out of — Panther Park Thursday as Woodward-Granger and Panorama combined for 23 runs on 28 hits in the first game of a WCAC doubleheader Thursday.
Panorama (3-12, 1-9) hit one triple and three home runs, but W-G (8-10, 4-3) countered rapping five doubles, a triple and a home run for a 13-10 victory.
The second game was suspended by lightning in the bottom of the fourth inning, with Panorama leading, 3-1. W-G was batting with no outs and runners on second and third, with Kayley Dresback facing a 2-0 count. Action will resume, at exactly that point, at 6 p.m. tonight in Panora.
W-G’s win in the opener came 24 hours after the sudden resignation of fourth-year head coach Noah Bean, who informed the team of his decision before a Wednesday evening practice. Bean became head coach for the 2014 season and, through a Tuesday loss to Earlham, was 63-56 overall with the Hawks, with a 36-18 record in WCAC play.
Assistant coach Jennifer McDaniel will guide the team the rest of the season, with Dave Smeltzer assisting.
W-G Thursday’s first game, 2-0, before Panorama — the host in the game — plated three runs in the bottom of the second. The Hawks returned with favor with three runs of their own in the third, with a Kennedy Andersen solo home run bringing the Panthers to within 5-4 after three frames.
The Hawks had scored twice in the fourth when Maggi Mallon hit a RBI-double that was followed by a RBI-triple from Kaycee Major. Eighth-grader Elly Polich joined the hit parade with a searing two-run blast over the fence to give the Hawks an 11-4 lead.
Panorama wasted little time in replying, with Lydia Knapp homering to the opposite field. Her two-run blast sailed well over the right field fence, loudly banging off a parked pickup truck and pulling the hosts to within 11-6. A Mathison Twigg RBI-single later in the inning cut the lead to 11-7.
Polich was not done, driving home two more runs with a base hit in the fifth for a 13-7 lead as the hits and runs kept coming.
Nicole Rolfes started the bottom of the seventh with a line-drive home run for the Panthers, with an error and singles from Shey Storesund and Kellie Prince loading the bases with two outs. Knapp scored two with a base hit, but a fly out snuffed the rally and preserved the win.
Prince and Olivia Richey were continually swapped in the pitcher’s circle. Prince threw the first, fifth and sixth innings and Richey the second, third, fourth and seventh.
The loss was charged to Richey, who yielded nine runs (four earned) on 12 hits and two walks while striking out two. Prince surrendered four runs (three earned) on four hits while walking two.
Prince had two singles, Knapp a single, triple and home run, Andersen a homer and CLair Woodworth a single. Rolfes had a home run, Ashley Clark and Storesund base hits and Twigg a pair of singles. Andersen, Rolfes and Clark each scored twice.
Riley Jamison survived in the ring to collect the win. She allowed 10 runs (four earned) on 12 hits and two walks while striking out five.
Mallon had three singles and a double while driving in a run. Natalie Weaver, running for the Mallon (the catcher) scored three times. Polich had four RBIs with her homer and base hit, with Major having a double, triple, two RBIs and two walks.
Kayley Dresback had a RBI-double and Jamison a single, two doubles and two RBIs, while Bree Lesch had two hits and scored twice and Katelyn Bandstra had two hits and scored once.
Excluding tonight’s resumption of game two, Panorama’s next action will be Monday when they travel to Des Moines Christian.
W-G will host the Phil Creese Memorial Classic Saturday. W-G faces Pekin at 10 a.m., with Pekin to play Saydel at 12 p.m. The 2 p.m. pits W-G and Saydel and concludes the three-game event.
