Panthers walk off winners again

As Friday's softball game wore on, Jim Blanton thought one run might do it.

The Hibriten coach was right.

For the second straight game, the Panthers emerged victorious by a 1-0 margin. And for the second round in a row, Hibriten won the game with fireworks in the final inning. Friday, the Panthers downed Owen 1-0 in the second round of the 2-A state playoffs, winning in the eighth inning on a bang-bang play at the plate.

The Panthers (21-7) now will take the long road trip to Canton to take on powerhouse Pisgah. Pisgah (20-5) defeated Chase 2-0 Friday.

“You win and play another day,” Blanton said. “We've got to bring our ‘A' game.”

The Panthers survived Friday when runner Bailey Goble scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Hannah Crowe. Owen outfielder Brittinee Pressley made the catch and quickly threw home to catcher Bre Przestrzelski as Goble tagged up from third. The throw took Przestrzelski a step or two up the third base line as Goble approached. Przestrzelski retrieved it and slung her arm to tag Goble, but Goble slid to her right. She was called safe.

Goble, who was nearly thrown out on a failed squeeze bunt attempt a few pitches before, said she wasn't tagged.

“Luckily, (Pressley) didn't throw it straight home and I was able to slide around the catcher,” Goble said.

A few Owen players and coach Don McGeary questioned the call, but to no avail.

“I don't know if she tagged her or not,” McGeary said.

Goble reached base on a single past short. Krista Sumpter bunted, but an Owen error allowed her to reach and Goble bolted for third, sliding in just in front of a tag to set up the final sequence.

It was the third time in four innings that Hibriten had a runner reach third. In the fifth, Emily Mills reached third with two outs, but Owen pitcher Allie Brandon struck out Goble to end the threat. In the seventh, Brandon struck out Chelsea Walker to end the inning, stranding Panthers at second and third.

“I thought their pitcher kept us off balance all day,” Blanton said. “She had a plethora of pitches.”

In the late innings, the Panthers, who struck out 11 times and had two hits all day, were trying to push runs across any way they could.

“With (Brandon), we were definitely trying to just manufacture one,” Blanton said. “No one had scored and we thought one might do it.”

Owen (16-8) had more success at the plate, knocking five hits off of Panther pitcher Ashlyn Pope and striking out just three times. But Hibriten catcher Sumpter gunned down two runners at second and one runner was called for interference in the fifth.

Owen stranded four runners.

“We're disappointed in the loss,” McGeary said. “We had some opportunities, but didn't execute.”

Brandon was the lone player in the game with multiple hits. She was 2-for-3.

Goble and Mills were both 1-for-3 for the Panthers, who defeated North Surry by the same margin Tuesday.

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