The Fleming County Lady Panthers softball team hosted the Harrison County Lady Fillies Thursday night.

In true Harrison County fashion, the Fillies came out swinging, putting up two runs in the first inning. Fleming County pitcher Abigail Ross walked Julie Persinger, who went on to score Harrison County’s first run of the inning after Shyanne Ross doubled on a line drive to center field. Immediately after, Ross would go on to score the Fillies’ second run of the inning after a double from Savannah White hit into right field. Owyn McCoy would ground out to second baseman Mallory Price to end the top half of the inning.

Fleming County would be quick to respond in the first inning, after two singles hit by the Lady Panthers first two batters Peyton Allison and Sadie Price. Allison would be sent home to score Fleming County’s first run after Mallory Price hit a single into center field. Following her run, Maggie McGlone would be hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Sadie Price would go on to score after Abee Argo hit a sacrifice fly to center fielder Allison Dye.

Ava Watson would ground out at first to end the inning.

In the top of the second, Harrison County continued to crush hits into the outfield, scoring two more runs over Fleming County, with Emma Hamm hitting a sacrifice fly to center field, sending Trista Ritchie home to score, and Hayden Lunsford making it home off of a single hit into center field from Julie Persinger. Fleming County would be unable to respond in the second inning, with Fillies pitcher Isabella Persinger striking out Makenna Stamm, and both Abigail Ross and Peyton Allison grounding out at first to end the bottom half of the second inning. Harrison County led 4-2 heading into the top of the third.

“We’ve been kinda jumping out and scoring some runs early in a few games and then we kinda quit. I don’t think we scored the last three or four innings. I know Char Parker really well, she played on my travel team and that’s a good kid, and she kept us off balance pretty goof there the last few innings.” said Fillies head coach, Chad Persinger.

The Fillies would continue to dominate the scoreboard early on in the game, scoring three more runs over the Lady Panthers in the top of the third inning. Leading 7-2 heading into the bottom of the third, the Fillies defense was working hard to hold back Fleming County, and prevent them from making a comeback.

“We started out good, we really did, but then the bats got cold really quick and we couldn’t capitalize. We’d get a few girls on base where we needed to be, and we just couldn’t get that extra swing in to get us more runs and get the kids around, and it just didn’t work out for us.” said Lady Panthers head coach, Josh Stamm

Harrison County would go on to score their last two runs of the game in the fourth inning, with McCoy sending Mary-Katherine Hicks home to score off of a hard ground ball to left field, and Lauren Highlander scoring off of a single from Ritchie after reaching first base on an error. The Fillies would lead 9-2 heading into the bottom of the fourth, and would hold their lead throughout the bottom of the fourth.

Although Fleming County’s bats cooled off quickly, most of Harrison County’s runs came from errors made by the Lady Panthers fielders early on in the game. As time moved on, the Fleming County defense got warmed up and gave up less and less to the Fillies. With Fleming County’s defense working hard to hold back the Fillies, Harrison County found it hard to score runs late in the game.

“Our fielding, like I said errors early cost us some runs but our field did kinda settle down and we started making some plays. Abigail started out and she pitched well, and then Char come in and threw a really good game it’s just, we got behind early and we just couldn’t make it up.” said coach Stamm.

Fleming County finally started to make a comeback late in the game, scoring two more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Harrison County pitcher Isabella Persinger walked Peyton Allison, and Sadie Price would reach first after an error from second baseman Lauren Highlander, allowing Allison to advance to third. Allison would go on to steal home, scoring the Lady Panthers first run of the inning, and third of the game. With no outs down, Mallory Price would send Sadie home after an error from shortstop Trista Ritchie.

Ariana Adams would get out advancing to second, and Persinger would strike out the next two batters to end the inning.

“Our defense has got to get better. We made two or three errors there we’ve gotta make, we make those plays it’s a 9-0, 9-1 ball game, but it’s early. I keep telling them it’s still March, our defense will definitely pick up the more we play, I look for it to get stronger and stronger.” said coach Persinger.

Neither team would go on to score another run this game, Harrison County leading 9-4, and maintaining their lead all throughout the sixth and seventh innings.

“It was a tough game, but you gotta think Harrison County is a really solid team. They went to state last year, beat Lewis County in the first round and then lost the heart breaker to Lexington Catholic. We wanted to come out and compete and I feel like we did for a while and then the wheels kinda fell off. We had some mental errors, we shouldn’t have had, and that cost us.” said coach Stamm.

The Lady Panthers will take spring break off to get settled, and will be practicing heavily for their next game against the Greenup County Lady Musketeers on April 10.

FILLIES 9, LADY PANTHERS 4

2B (HC) White, Ross

R (HC) J. Persinger, Ross 2, White, Highlander, McCoy, Hicks, Ritchie (FC) Allison 2, Price 2

RBI (HC) Hamm, J. Persinger, Ross, White, McCoy, Ritchie, Dye. (FC) Price, Argo

RECORDS- LADY PANTHERS: 2-6, FILLIES: 7-2