Softball Recap: West Park Panthers vs. Ponderosa Bruins
West Park entered their tilt with Ponderosa with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Ponderosa Bruins 5-4. For West Park, this counts as revenge for the 4-2 defeat Ponderosa walked away with the last time they faced one another back in May of 2023.
Jessica Cochran spent all nine innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and two unearned) runs on eight hits. Those nine innings set a new season-high mark for her.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Mady Schultze, who went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs. Isabella Huston was another key contributor, going 1-for-3 with two runs and a triple.
On Ponderosa's side, Chase Mueller put in work while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 8.1 innings while giving up five earned runs off eight hits. Mueller has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive pitching appearances. Mueller was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two RBI.
In other batting news, Brynn Escobar made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-5 with a triple and a run. Another player making a difference was Molly McFarland, who went 2-for-5 with two stolen bases.
West Park pushed their record up to 7-3 with that victory, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. As for Ponderosa, their loss dropped their record down to 10-3.
West Park will head out on the road to challenge Bear River at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Bear River is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 9.4 runs per game this season. As for Ponderosa, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Lincoln at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Lincoln is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 7 runs per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
