The Pana Panthers will square off against the Litchfield Purple Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Pana is headed into the matchup having just posted their closest victory since March 21st on Friday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Carlinville 5-3. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Panthers.
Shelby Ashcraft was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over seven innings while giving up three earned runs off eight hits. Ashcraft was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one RBI.
Ashcraft wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Joey Laker, who went 3-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. That's the most RBI Laker has posted over her last ten contests. Izzy Reed was another, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one double.
Meanwhile, Litchfield had to endure a six-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They walked away with a 6-1 victory over Nokomis on Wednesday.
Like Pana, Litchfield also got a great game from a two-way player: Laynie Wyatt. She struck out nine batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off seven hits. Wyatt was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two doubles, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lili Anne Readenour, who went 2-for-4 with one home run and two RBI.
Litchfield's win bumped their record up to 7-8. As for Pana, their victory bumped their record up to 6-9.
Everything went Pana's way against Litchfield in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, as Pana made off with an 8-1 win. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Purple Panthers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
