Lady Panthers battle, but Surry claims 13-6 softball win

Charles City catcher Sydney Richard is able to snag a throw for an out just before Surry's Alexis Holloway crosses the plate.

Andre' Jones photo

Charles City Lady Panthers failed to overcome a 10-0 early deficit, eventually falling to the visiting Lady Cougars of Surry County 13-6.

After leading 1-0 after one inning, Surry begin to stretch the lead out, pushing four more runs across the plate. The Lady Panthers, on the other hand, struggled to make contact at the plate, mostly in part to stellar pitching from Lady Cougar pitcher Kennedy Presson who struck out nine Lady Panthers in the first three innings of play.

With a 10-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth, Surry threatened to close the game via the mercy rule. But the resilience of Charles City emerged. Adrienne Miles’ single and two subsequent steals placed her on third base. A wild pitch advanced her home to score the hosts’ first. Veondra Brown’s single pushed teammate Meryah Bates across the plate as the Lady Panthers headed into the top of the fifth trailing 10-2.

After Surry went three-and-out, Lady Panther Sydney Richard’s single allowed Jada Cotman to trot across the plate for another score (10-3). That margin held until the top of the seventh inning when Presson took matters into her own hands. The Lady Cougar pitcher connected with a bases-loaded triple, driving in three more runs and returning a 10-run lead to the guests (13-3).

After Presson struck out the first two batters of the final frame, Charles City made one last surge. Hailey Holmes reached based on a single and scored on Richard’s single. Miles connected for her second hit of the night, a triple that drove in Richard. An errant relay throw allowed Miles to cross the plate (13-6). However, those runs would be the last for the Lady Panthers as Bates struck out to end the game.

Second year Lady Panther head coach Lauren Wood talked about facing Presson and the change of pace she brought at the mound.

“She’s the best pitcher we faced so far this year,” said Wood of the Lady Cougar who struck out 15 batters over five innings of play. “We got a late start this year because of the weather and haven’t gotten the opportunity to get as much batting practice as we would have liked.

“This year, we have a really young team,” the coach continued. “We have only two seniors and one junior on our roster so we have a lot of work to do, but we have a lot of talent to work with.”

Charles City falls to 1-2-1 on the year, while Surry improved to 1-0.