Winfield Classic
The Lady Panthers took a looooong ride to Sykesville to play in the Winfield Classic the weekend of July 10th and 11th. In a well-played tournament the Panthers went 3-2 and looked like a team that is definitely coming along. The only 2 losses were to the tournament champs and runner up. 

The opening game saw the Panthers take on the Arlington (VA) Sage. In a decisive 16-2 win, the Panthers pounded out thirteen hits and played solid defense.  With 2 outs in the 1st inning the Panthers scored 4 runs and never looked back.  Brittany, Gabby, Megan K., Sarah and Ali led the way with 2 hits apiece while Megan K. and Sarah collected 4 and 3 RBI's respectively.  Jelly was strong on the mound allowing four hits while not allowing an earned runs.  The ladies were very aggressive on the bases, taking the extra base when given the opportunity.  The infield of Gabby, Ali, and Megan squared, made all the plays, that showed with good pitching and defense this team will be in every game.
In the 2nd game of the day, the opponent was the Stafford ( Va) Storm. Ali and Jelly kept the Storm at bay, but the Storm pitcher silenced the Panther bats. Once again, the defense came up big, and the game was winnable. In a 4-2 loss, the Cats could only manage five hits.  After finishing 1-1 in pool play the Panthers earned the 5th seed by giving up only 6 runs in 2 games. 

Sunday's single elimination round started against the Riverbats of Howard County.  Ali pitched to the minimum of 9 batters, striking out five. The Panthers showed no mercy in scoring 12 runs on seven walks and eight hits. Led by Kelly and Sarah who each had 2 hits apiece and nine RBI between the two of them.  

The 2nd game on Sunday brought on the #4 seed SPN Lady Ravens. It seemed like the Cats were finished after 1/2 inning of play. That inning saw the Panthers commit two errors and allow 4 runs to cross the plate. But as has happened before this team never quits. The Panthers kept pecking away, scoring runs in the second, third and fourth to pull even at four. Jelly put the strangle hold on the Ravens allowing only 1 run after the 1st inning and the Lady Cats scored 3 in the bottom half of the six to get the win. The final score of 7-5 put the Panthers into the semifinals.
The opponent for this semifinal game was the Cockeysville Sting. The Sting had beaten the Cats earlier in the season, so there was a revenge factor in play. Once again Jelly was in the circle and was as sharp as a Cat's claw. Her changeup had the Sting talking to themselves. Down by 1 in the top of the 7th, the Panthers scratched out a run to tie the score. The home team attempted to win in the bottom of the inning but came up empty. The game went to the International tiebreaker rule. The Cats could not score in their attempt, so once again the home team got a chance. They loaded the bases with 0 outs. A line drive up the middle was caught for the first out, with the runner on 2nd getting doubled off for out two, but the runner from 3rd tagged and scored as the throw to the catcher was a Cats whisker late and the winning run scored. Even with this 4-3 loss the Lady Panthers showed that they have come a long way.

Next up for the Panthers is the Franklinville Frenzy in Kingsville July 17th and 18th.  Go Cats!!!!
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