When Daviess County softballs Molly Hancock stepped into the batter’s box in the bottom of the fourth, she had one thought on her mind – drive in the runner on first to end the game early.
It took her one pitch to do just that, barreling up a pitch on the middle outside and launching it over the centerfield fence for a grand slam, her second homer of the game.
It was a loud opening statement for the Lady Panthers, routing Edmonson County 18-2 to begin their 3rd Region Tournament run.
“We kind of stuck to the game plan and had some really good approaches at the plate. We kind of wanted to see some pitches early,” Daviess County Head Coach John Biggs said. “…All in all, I am really pleased with the way things turned out. Defensively, our infield was really stellar.”
Hancock wasn’t the only one to find success with the longball, with Annie Newman and Kylie Clark both joining in on the home run parade. Newman put the Lady Panthers on the board with a two-run shot in the bottom of the first, and Clark and Hancock both hit two-run homers of their own in the second. Daviess County added three runs in the third and eight runs in the fourth to enact the 15-run mercy rule.
“It’s so much fun with this team because one through nine can do this with this lineup,” Hancock said. “It’s just passing the bat and getting the momentum to each other. Some people aren’t going to have their day, but just being able to look at each other and know that everybody can do the same thing. We are all rooting for each other’s success.”
Sophia Cain started in the circle for the Lady Panthers, throwing three shutout innings before running into a jam in the fourth. After giving up a two-run double, she was relieved by Storey Hume who retired the next three batters.
Next up for the Lady Panthers is a semi-finals matchup with Meade County.
