Panthers split doubleheader with Faulkner
March 5, 2008

LaGrange College split a doubleheader with Faulkner University on Wednesday at the LaGrange College Softball Complex. The Panthers (3-1) took the first game 1-0 and the Lady Eagles (6-8) rallied to take the second game 5-2.

Amanda Daniel (3-1) pitched both games for the Panthers. In the first game, she shut out the Lady Eagles on four hits. Daniel walked three and struck out seven in the game. She allowed only one earned run in the second game loss. Daniel walked only one and struck out nine in the second game.

Daniel worked out of a jam in the first inning of the first game. Shauna Suttle doubled down the left field line with one out. Daniel walked two batters to load the bases. She came back to strike out Cheryl Lavarnway to end the inning.

The Panthers got the game's only run in the third inning. Erica Robinson walked to lead off the inning. Holly Hazelwood kept the inning going with a two-out infield hit. Robinson came around to score on Kristi Underwood's base hit to center field.

Daniel pitched around an error in the second inning. The Panther defense came through in the fourth inning. Erin Pierce led off the inning with a single, but Daniel got Lavarnway to ground into a double play.  In the fifth, shortstop Jennifer Knight alertly tagged out Jennifer Ellisor, who had slid past second base trying to steal.

The Lady Eagles threatened in the sixth inning. They put runners on second and third with one out. Daniel worked out of the inning by striking out Lavarnway and getting Jessica Tumlinson to fly out for the third out.

The Panthers finished the game with five hits. Hazelwood was the only Panther with two hits.

In the second game, Ellisor lined Daniel's first pitch of the game over the left center field fence for a quick 1-0 lead. The Lady Eagles put the next two batters on by way of an error and a base hit. Daniel retired the next three batters to get out of the inning. She got eight straight batters before giving up a two-out single in the third inning.

Faulkner took its 1-0 lead into the sixth inning. Katie Hein reached on an error to lead off the inning for the Panthers. Hein moved up to second on a ground out. With two outs, Knight put the Panthers up with her first home run of the season. She hit a 1-2 pitch from Lavarnway over the left field fence for a 2-1 lead.

But the lead was short-lived. Aided by two costly errors, Faulkner pushed across four unearned runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a 5-2 lead. The Panthers came back to threaten in their half of the seventh. Kristen Woodard singled down the right field line with one out. A walk to Emily Foster and a single by Hein loaded the bases. Lavarnway struck out the next two batters to end the game.

The Panthers outhit the Lady Eagles 7-6. Knight led the Panthers with two hits, a double and the home run. Katie Godfrey led Faulkner with three hits.

The Panthers host Brenau in a doubleheader Saturday beginning at 2 p.m.