Pana waltzed into their matchup on Thursday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Taylorville Tornadoes 5-4. That result was just more of the same for these two, as Pana also won the last time the pair played back in April of 2023.
Joey Laker made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing seven innings while giving up four earned runs off nine hits. Laker has been consistent recently: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in five consecutive pitching appearances. Laker was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, Shelby Ashcraft was incredible, going 2-for-2 with a triple, two RBI, and a run. Bailey Evrley was another key contributor, going 1-for-3 with a triple and a run.
Like Pana, Taylorville also got a great game from a two-way player: PEYTON DeMICHEAL. On the mound, she pitched 6.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off four hits. DeMICHEAL was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 3-for-4.
DeMICHEAL wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was LIV HAVERA, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Pana's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-6. As for Taylorville, they have been struggling recently as they've lost eight of their last nine games, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-11 record this season.
Pana will head out on the road to square off against Gillespie at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The last four games Pana has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one. As for Taylorville, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Mattoon at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
