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Lady Panthers pull out tourney win in eight innings
May 13, 2009 at 11:58 am
By TIM MILLER
Pictured left - Fairbanks catcher Dani Short can’t apply the tag before a Northridge runner slides safely into the plate. The Lady Panthers, though, went on to beat the Vikings, 3-2, in eight innings during a Division III tournament game.
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If there was ever a study in perseverance, it might be the Fairbanks High School softball team during Tuesday evening’s Division III tournament game against Northridge in Milford Center.
The contest, which FHS ended up winning 3-2 in eight innings, could have played out to several different scenarios.
The Lady Panthers (13-7) could have blown the game wide open at any time during the first five or six innings. They didn’t, however, because they left seven runners on base, five of whom were in scoring position.
Another possible outcome could have had them winning 1-0 in the regulation number of innings.
After all, freshman pitcher Sarah Grunert had limited the Vikings to one hit through six frames and her defense had played flawlessly.
And of course, the worst possible scenario could have seen FHS fold completely after Northridge rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game.
Fortunately, the latter possibility didn’t play out as a passed ball came right when the Lady Panthers needed it in the home half of the eighth. That one miscue by Northridge’s catcher allowed freshman Maddie Greenbaum, who had tripled, to score the winning run.
Up until the visitors’ portion of the seventh, Fairbanks had dominated the offensive stats, rapping eight hits against Viking pitcher Kimber Hazlett.
The Lady Panthers, though, had only two runs to show for their efforts as they left runners in scoring position in the first, second, third and fifth frames.
Fairbanks’ first run came in the initial inning when Kaylee Walk singled, stole second and scored on Brittany Greenbaum’s base hit.
Dani Short followed with a single and was replaced by courtesy runner Hannah Burnside. A stolen base by Burnside put runners at second and third but Hazlett notched one of her 14 strikeouts to end the inning.
FHS (which will travel to Bishop Ready on Thursday for the sectional finals) followed suit in the second, third and fifth frames, only to see Hazlett get out of those jams with punchouts.
The Lady Panthers added a run to their lead in the sixth by playing textbook softball.
Short singled and was again replaced by Burnside.
Grunert put down a perfect sacrifice bunt that moved Burnside to second and Maddie Greenbaum’s double brought in the run.
Everything was going well for Grunert with one down in the top of the seventh.
Northridge had a runner on base via a base hit but the Panthers committed their lone error to put runners at the corners.
A flyball was snared by Walk in centerfield and both runners held their positions. At that point, FHS was only one out away from winning the game.
A double, however, brought both of those runners around and tied the game.
Grunert induced a lineout to end the inning but Hazlett struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh to force an eighth frame.
Grunert - who finished with eight strikeouts and no walks - put the Vikings down without any trouble in the top of the eighth. Hazlett, however, retired the first two Panther batters in the bottom half of the frame.
The younger Greenbaum then ripped the ball down the right field line and didn’t stop running until she got to third base.
“I was glad to see Maddie hit the ball,” said coach Dan Stillings.
What the veteran Panther boss was happier to witness was his freshman third baseman scamper down the line and slide into the plate with the winning run after a passed ball.
“The kids hung in there and got the job done when we needed it,” said Stillings. “I was worried when we left so many runners in scoring position ... you’ve got to be able to move the ball.”
“We had a lot of chances and made the last one count.”
Northridge 000 000 20-2 3 1
FHS 100 001 01-3-9-1.
WP-Grunert. LP-Hazlett.
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