Déjà Vu for Lady Panthers against Arrows

The Lady Panthers and the Arrows of Wapello met up for the second time this season on June 12 in what turned out to be near Déjà vu for Pekin. This time the Lady Panthers were on the road and there was less scoring from their previous meeting earlier this season, but the outcome remained the same. Pekin took a lead but watched Wapello slowly chip away and, in the end, took another one run loss as Wapello took the 3-2 walk off.

    To say the first half of the game was a defensive battle would be an understatement as both teams made some great defensive plays. Pekin didn’t get a runner on base until the fifth, while Wapello had some chances to score early, but were shut down. In the second inning, Wapello had runners at second and third base with only one out. Cari Duwa got a big strikeout and Kennedy Coleman made a terrific snow-cone style catch in foul territory just before the ball was about to hit the ground, which ended the threat.

    Wapello had another chance in the fourth to put a run on the board by getting a runner aboard with one out. A groundout advanced the runner to second to put her in scoring position, but Cate Roth made a sliding catch near center field to end the inning and keep a run from scoring. Pekin finally got some of their offense clicking in the top of the fifth which started with a single by Ellie Ledger. Makenna Myers struck out and Erika Coleman hit a fielder’s choice single as Ledger was out at second. Erika advanced to second on a passed ball, but Kennedy Coleman popped out to end the scoring chance.

    “Defensively it seemed Cari had a lot of balls coming back to her right away and making that play at first, diving after balls at times. She fielded her position and pitched really well,” Lady Panthers coach Allison Glick said. “Our outfielders have started to come to life a little more and get some of those balls in the gap while talking and communicating.”

    Cari made quick work of the Arrows in the fifth, as she had done for most of the game up to that point, sending the offense out with hopes of getting some more hits. Kylie Davis led the sixth with a strikeout and then Remi Duwa made it to first on a ball that dropped just inside the foul line past first base. Zoey Wright followed that up with a single and a strikeout by Roth which left Pekin with one out remaining in the inning to score. Emilee Linder kept the inning alive with a single and Ellie Ledger hit a ball that got by the infield for a single and brought in Remi and Wright.

    “It came down to making adjustments at the plate,” Glick said. “They were jammed a little bit and let it get in on them but then they started to drive the ball and attack it.”

    Wapello responded with a run in the bottom of the sixth in a bizarre sequence. The runner was walked and then a costly error resulted in her going for third, the throw to the third baseman got by and the runner wound up scoring. After a quick team conversation on the mound led by Glick, Cari got the next two batters out via groundout and strikeout. She hit the next batter, who stole second, but that threat ended with a strikeout swinging.

    “For her to go eight innings it was a good thing for her to get through some quick innings,” Glick said. “It was good to give her some longevity.”

    The Lady Panthers got one on base in the top of the seventh but a couple strikeouts later, the defense was back on the field trying to get the win. Wapello led off the bottom of the seventh with a double in the gap, but Pekin got a crucial out with a high bunt caught by Kennedy. A flyout had Wapello down to their final out to tie in which the batter hit a triple to bring in their second run of the game. The game went into extra innings after Cari got the following batter to pop out.

    Remi grounded out to start the eighth and then Wright reached base via walk. She was caught stealing second base and Roth struck out to end the top of the inning. Wapello loaded the bases with no outs from three singles, two of which were bunts. A fly ball between the infielders and outfielders was caught by Erika over her shoulder and a quick throw to home kept runners on their bases. A deep fly out from the next batter was caught but the runner scored from third to send Wapello off in walk-off fashion and the Lady Panthers with their second straight one-run loss to the Arrows.

    “I always expect a good game when playing them. We really wanted to beat them,” Glick said. “We can’t let good teams hang around. Last time we played them we were ahead and they came back, same thing happened here.”

    Lady Panther leaders: Ellie Ledger – 2 hits, Zoey Wright/Remi Duwa – 1 run, Ellie Ledger – 2 RBIs, Cari Duwa – 5 Ks

    The Lady Panthers hosted Van Buren on June 13 followed by Winfield Mt. Union on June 14 and ended the week at West Burlington on June 15.