Principia Softball drops two against Blackburn College in non-conference double header

Carlinville, ILL. -- The Panthers traveled to Blackburn College on Tuesday to face the Blackburn College Beavers in a non-conference double header. After a great display of grit in game one to come from behind and force an extra inning, the Panthers ultimately fell to the Beavers.

Game 1: Principia 8, Blackburn 9
After the Panthers took two games from the Beavers in conference play, the Beavers came out ready to attack Principia's defense. The Panthers were not quite ready for the attack on defense, and found themselves down several runs early in the game. Defensive errors and a lack of mental sharpness cost the Panthers runs that their offense later had to make up for. The Panthers began to play tighter defense as their offense worked to keep them in the game. Leah Schaefer was on the rubber for game one and fed her defense the ground balls and fly outs they needed to get out of potentially big innings.

The Panthers showed great composure offensively. Down seven runs in the second inning, everyone found a way on base, and some timely hits were able to bring in the runs the Panthers needed to tie the game and force an extra inning. Hannah Hathaway hit an opposite field grand slam that started the Panthers' come back. Other hits for the game go to Emily Hewitt with two singles and a double, Hannah Hathaway with two doubles in addition to her grand slam with five RBIs total, and Lauren Daugherty with a single. A base running error and a mental lapse on defense in the eighth inning ultimately gave Blackburn the game.

Game 2: Principia 4, Blackburn 19
After an exciting game one, the Panthers carried the momentum into game two, putting up three runs in the first inning. Defensively, the Panthers were able to keep the game close for the first two innings. Hannah Hathaway executed a perfect double play in the second inning to keep the Beavers off the board. The game started to get away from the Panthers in the third inning when the Beavers started to hit everything hard into the gaps. The defense struggled to make plays, and the game quickly got away from the Panthers. The four hits for game two go to Hannah Hathaway with a single, Lauren Daugherty with a single and an RBI, and Leah Schaefer with two singles and an RBI.

Up Next: 
The Panthers will play St. Louis College of Pharmacy on Thursday at home at 6:00 and 8:00 pm.