Softball Recap: Paulding Picks Up Third Consecutive Victory

Panthers

Margin (Wins)

04/14/25 @ Holgate	12
05/15/25 vs Spencerville	11
04/12/25 vs Continental	8
04/17/25 vs Hicksville	7
04/04/25 @ Jefferson	7

It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Paulding had no problem doing just that on Friday. They didn't even let the Liberty-Benton Eagles on the board, marking their second-straight 6-0 shutout. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight games by six runs or more this season.

Tia Mendez made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run.

In other batting news, Mariah Klopfenstein and Civil Pumphrey did most of the damage at the plate: Klopfenstein went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base, while Pumphrey went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and one double. That's the most stolen bases Pumphrey has posted since back in April. Brooklynn Bakle was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.

The win (which was Paulding's third in a row) raised their record to 11-10. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games. As for Liberty-Benton, their defeat dropped their record down to 19-6.

Paulding is on the road again on Saturday to play Elmwood at 12:00 p.m. The Royals' pitching crew has only allowed 3.8 runs per game this season, so the Panthers' hitters will have their work cut out for them. Liberty-Benton does not have any more games scheduled as of now.