On Thursday night, the Eastbrook Panthers’ seniors made their presence felt.
Rebecca Sparrow, Ali Anderson, Ashlyn Swan, Kimmy Hoddup, and Olivia Barnaby combined for eight hits and six RBI as the Panthers came out on top in a 14-9 win over the Taylor Titans.
Eastbrook blew the game open in the second inning, scoring seven runs to take an 11-1 lead they would not relinquish.
The Panthers added insurance runs in the fifth and sixth innings, and held off a late Taylor surge in the top of the seventh to secure the victory.
Sparrow finished 3-for-4 with a single, two doubles, and five RBI, while Swan was 2-for-4. Anderson, Hoddup, and Barnaby each added a hit.
“It was all about our seniors tonight,” head coach Harold Coates said after the game. “Our seniors went out there and played a really good game. I was really proud of their effort, and the team’s effort overall.”
Eastbrook will face off against Taylor again on Tuesday in their first sectional game, and despite winning the first meeting, Coates knows it’s difficult to defeat the same team twice in such a short amount of time.
However, he believes his squad will be up to the challenge.
“They will be a different team on Tuesday,” Coates said. “Their star pitcher throws hard and is a very good player, but I think the girls understand its tournament time. It’s a win or go home tournament, and that right there should be enough to get then focused and ready to play.”
