Pinckneyville Panthers (Pinckneyville, IL) backers exited the stadium thrilled Thursday as they saw their softball squad nip the visiting Mater Dei Knights (Breese, IL), 7-6 in a non-league challenge.

The Panthers now own a 12-8 record. They take the field next when they travel to Meridian for a non-league challenge on Saturday, May 6. Pinckneyville will battle a Hawks squad coming off a 14-4 league win over Shelbyville (Shelbyville, IL). The Hawks record now stands at 18-7.

With the loss, Mater Dei falls to 17-3 on the campaign. The Knights travel to Teutopolis (Teutopolis, IL) to battle the Wooden Shoes in a non-league challenge on Saturday, May 6. The Wooden Shoes enter the challenge with a record of 13-11. Teutopolis lost 13-0 in their recent non-league challenge against Edwardsville (Edwardsville, IL)