Lady Panthers walk-off Lincoln
■ Kaidence Prendergast had a two-run home run and the game-winning hit in the 7-6 victory.
The Siloam Springs softball team’s season is off to an exciting start.
Freshman center fielder Kaidence Prendergast ripped a basesloaded single up the middle to score the winning run as the Lady Panthers defeated Lincoln 7-6 on Monday at La-Z-Boy Softball Complex.
After a tough 2021 season, where the team only won two games, Monday’s victory over the Lady Wolves (7-2) was the second victory of the season for the Lady Panthers (2-1).
“We’re just working hard,” said SSHS coach Emily Grace Ruggeri. “That’s what we we’re talking about — finding a way to win, finding a way to push that last run across in the seventh and get it done for the team.”
Siloam Springs fell behind 3-0 but rallied for a 6-3 lead with six runs in the third inning. Lincoln battled back and tied the game 6-6 heading into the bottom of the seventh.
In the seventh, the Lady Panthers loaded the bases with one out, setting the stage for Prendergast, who had hit a two-run home run as part of the six-run third inning. Prendergast finished with two hits, three RBIs and a run scored.
“She’s a freshman who has a lot of potential,” Ruggeri said. “We’re asking her to do a lot of things, playing center field, pitching. She can also hit. We have a lot of confidence in her. I’m really excited to see what all she’s going to do in her career here.”
Lincoln scored three runs in the top of the first inning, including a two-run home run by Brinkley Moreton.
The Lady Panthers battled back in the bottom of the third. Aveary Speed reached on wild pitch strikeout and Hannah Mather followed with a double. Aubree Dry walked to load the bases, and Aspeyn Downing singled to drive in a run.
Pitcher Josie Samarin followed with a bases clearing double to give the Lady Panthers a 4-3 lead. Prendergast, batting next, hit a rocket over the left-center field fence for a 6-3 lead.
Moreton crushed another tworun home run to get Lincoln back within 6-5, and she also moved into the pitching circle and kept Siloam Springs scoreless through the next three innings.
Moreton led off the seventh and singled to open the inning. She scored on Amber Bryant’s base hit to tie the game. Moreton finished with three hits, four RBIs and three runs scored.
Lincoln head coach Brittany (Holmes) Engel, a former Siloam Springs standout, said Moreton is a special player.
“She’s one of those kids that plays 365 days a year, travels all year long and she just puts in the work,” Engel said. “She’ll do anything I ask her to do. She’s a special kid.”
Engel’s Wolves, who beat Siloam Springs 6-5 in extra innings in a benefit game on Feb. 21, were coming off a first place finish in the Chelsea Riley Colburn Memorial Tournament last weekend. They went 5-1 on the weekend.
“I think we came off a high this weekend,” Engel said. “It was cold and we weren’t quite ready to come out and give all what it took to take this one. We kind of hurt ourselves a little bit this game, and Siloam played really well. They definitely earned it today.”
The weather was in the mid-30s all game long, making for tough playing conditions.
But for the Lady Panthers, who start four freshmen, it was an important game to get in, Ruggeri said.
“We didn’t think about trying to cancel because we played them in the benefit game and lost in extra innings to them,” Ruggeri said. “We were really looking to come back and beat them in this regular season game when it really counts.”
Downing and Mather each had two hits to go with Prendergast’s two hits. Mather scored two runs, while Downing had a run and RBI.
Samarin gave up five earned runs on five hits in seven innings of work. She had six strikeouts and three walks.
Siloam Springs is back in action Wednesday in the Bruce Dean Invitational at Rogers Heritage. The tournament was scheduled to start on Thursday and run through Saturday, but the prediction of cold weather bumped the start of the event up one day.
Siloam Springs is scheduled to play Gravette at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and Heritage at 8 p.m. The Lady Panthers will then play Van Buren at 3:30 p.m. Thursday.