Panthers Cap Off Big Week With Big Win In Plymouth
PLYMOUTH — NorthWood softball is suddenly on a roll.
The Lady Panthers have nearly doubled their win total this week. On Friday they capped off a three-win week with a 15-0 shelling of host Plymouth in five innings on the road.
“We started this week off really well with a win against Warsaw and a win against Jimtown. Our third game we didn’t play as well as we would’ve liked against Elkhart Memorial, but then coming out and having 15 hits and finishing strong and taking that into Goshen next week is a big deal,” said NorthWood head coach Mandy DeMien.
The win was Wood’s second in the Northern Lakes Conference and second of the week following a 6-5 victory at Warsaw Monday. The Lady Panthers had collected 25 hits in the three games leading up to Friday’s contest, and they stayed hot in Plymouth with 15 more, including five extra-base hits.
Cybil Stillson collected two hits — a double and a triple — with two runs scored batting in the nine hole for NorthWood, Lili Lomeli homered in the fifth on her way to a two-hit, two-RBI, two-run night, and Morgan Jenkins went 3-for-4 batting in the leadoff spot, homering in the fourth, driving in four runs and scoring another two to lead the Panthers at the plate.
“Our goal coming out was to get 15 hits, and we got 15 hits and 15 runs. So we hit our goal,” said DeMien. “That’s just what we’ve been focusing on all year is just reaching our goals and doing little things, and we did it tonight.”
Gracie Clark and Madison Miller combined for the five-frame no-hitter, meanwhile.
Clark walked two in the bottom of the first but settled in to allow just one more Plymouth baserunner — Julia Kinney, who reached on an error at short in the second — in three innings pitched. Miller came on in relief in the fourth, fanning four while retiring the minimum number of batters in two innings of work.
“They do a good job complementing each other, and today they did a really good job. Madison’s offspeed was working. She came in and finished strong,” DeMien said.
Leading 4-0, NorthWood broke it open with nine runs off eight hits in the fourth, including Stillson’s triple, a double by Kylie Thornton and Jenkins’ three-run blast to left. That was all the Panthers needed, but they went on to score two more runs when Lomeli went yard in the fifth to bring the score to its final margin.
Wood improves to 7-8 overall and 2-4 in the NLC. Saturday’s game at Triton was postponed to May 17. The Panthers will resume play when they host Goshen on Monday at 5 p.m.