Panthers fall to RTR under the lights after big Camden win over Saints
Tuesday was a mixed bag for the TMB softball team, which tested out the new lights at the City Softball Complex.
Before the switch was thrown on the lights, the Panthers took on KMS, a perennial-tough team. Thanks to some hot bats, TMB more than handled themselves, winning 10-2.
“It’s fun to beat KMS, which traditionally has been really good,” TMB coach Karl Campbell said. “It was a conference win, and every win matters from here on out.”
Alli Dolan led the hit brigade with four; Gretchen Lanoue had three hits including a home run and scored three runs; and Melaina Ankrum, Piper Freeburg, Aliyah Loftness and Avery Torgeson all had two hits. Lanoue and Ankrum both had triples and Torgeson knocked in two runs.
The Panthers pushed across three runs in the second and third innings, and put up another three-spot in the fifth.
That was more than enough for Lanoue, who struck out eight in a complete-game win.
“The first game was just the opposite of this one,” Campbell said. “We pitched really well, we played good defense and we hit the heck out of the ball. We were really clubbing it around good.”
There was plenty of excitement for the nightcap, as the new lights would come on. But there wasn’t a whole lot to cheer about on the field, as RTR — the defending Section 3A champs — would claim a 14-1, five-inning win.
The Knights wasted little time, plating four runs in the first, two in the second and three in the third. They kept it up with three in the fourth and two more in the fifth.
Bella Martinez scored the Panthers’ lone run in the third after she tripled.
Braelynn Kirk and Dolan had TMB’s other hits, as the Panther bats went silent into the night.
“I don’t know that it was an advantage or not playing back-to-back against RTR, but they had to do the same thing we did,” Campbell said, touching on the fact that the Knights traveled to Tracy from Slayton after crushing the MCC Rebels. “They had the same circumstances and they had to travel. They had a really good night between Slayton and us.”
Jaida Fricke, a former Panther, got the win for the Knights, and also had three hits and two RBI.
TMB will take to the road today (April 30) to face LQPV.
Game 1 KMS 000 101 0 — 2 7 2 TMB 033 031 x — 10 16 2 Lanoue (W) and Freeburg. 2B: Torgeson, Dolan, Freeburg. 3B: Ankrum, Lanoue. HR: Lanoue.
Game 2 RTR 423 32 — 14 12 1 TMB 001 00 — 1 4 0 Lanoue (L) and Freeburg. 3B: Martinez.
APRIL 23: C/M 10, TMB 0 / C/M 18, TMB 9
The Panthers were swept at home by Camden Conference rival Minneota/Canby 10-0 and 18-9 last Thursday.
Minneota/Canby ace Madison Hennen limited TMB to just four hits in the first game, and the Vikings tallied all the runs they would need with four in the second.
Hits for the Panthers came from Aliyah Loftenss (three singles); Piper Freeburg (two singles); Braelynn Kirk, who led off the game with a single but was eventually stranded at third; and Alli Dolan.
In Game 2, TMB got down 8-0 after one-half inning, but this time battled back.
Rosa Vang singled with one out in the bottom of the second and scored on a home run by Melaina Anrkum over the right field fence. Gretchen Lanoue then singled and after Dolan reached on an error, Aliyah Loftness got her first of three singles.
Bella Martinez then singled to score Lanoue to make it 7-4.
M/C tacked on two third-inning runs, but TMB countered again with a three-run third, highlighted by a Loftness hit and one from Martinez. Avery Torgeson walked to force in TMB’s third run of the inning.
The Panthers scored two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game at 9. Ankrum singled to start the frame and Dolan walked. Ankrum scored on a Loftness grounder, and Dolan also scored.
However, the Vikings wouldn’t quit and pushed across five more runs in the top of the fifth. The Panthers went down in order in the sixth and seventh innings.
