The Litchfield Purple Panthers will venture away from home to face off against the Pana Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Litchfield took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They walked away with a 6-1 win over Nokomis. The victory continues a trend for the Purple Panthers in their matchups with the Redskins: they've now won five in a row.
Laynie Wyatt
| 04/23/25 vs Nokomis | 9 |
| 04/14/25 @ Lincolnwood | 7 |
| 03/25/25 @ Taylorville | 7 |
| 04/18/25 vs Southwestern | 4 |
| 03/20/25 vs Greenfield/Northwestern | 4 |
Laynie Wyatt was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off seven hits. Those nine strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She 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.
Meanwhile, Pana posted their closest win since March 21st on Friday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Carlinville 5-3. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Panthers.
Like Litchfield, Pana also got a great game from a two-way player: Shelby Ashcraft. On the mound, she struck 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 stolen base was Laker's first of the season. Another was Izzy Reed, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and one double.
Litchfield's record now sits at 7-8. As for Pana, their record is now 6-9.
Litchfield might still be hurting after the 8-1 loss they got from Pana when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can the Purple Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
