Panthers advance

The old and the new combined Monday in Lenoir, and for the Hibriten softball team, the end result was a familiar one.

A two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth inning propelled Hibriten to a 2-0 win over Bunker Hill in the first round of the Catawba Valley Athletic Conference tournament. Senior Sarah Bentley and freshman Kristin Oakes keyed the inning.

“When we finally had to hit the ball, we did,” Hibriten coach Jim Blanton said. “We're glad we got by. But we know that kind of performance won't work tomorrow.”

Despite a stellar performance from Ashlyn Pope on the mound, the Panthers found themselves in a scoreless tie late in the game. With two outs and no one aboard, Bentley and Oakes delivered clutch hits. Bentley ripped a double to left-center field to get things started. One batter later, the pinch-hitting Oakes then reached on an infield single to plate the game winner (in the form of courtesy runner Jordyn Roberts).

“It was a lot of pressure, but I wanted it bad,” Bentley said. “It was a great feeling to get it done.”

As the team's only four-year player, Bentley is used to such drama. For Oakes, however, the situation was an unfamiliar one.

“I was just praying to hit the ball, “ she said. “I was aiming for the fence but I was happy to take the base hit.”

Blanton was especially impressed with the way his youngster stepped up when it counted.

“Coming off the bench cold as a freshman, that's all you can ask for,” he said. “That was a big situation, and she really came through for us.”

Courtesy runner Caisey Anderson added an insurance run on a wild pitch later in the inning.

Up until that point, the Panthers had recorded only four hits in the game off Bunker HIll pitcher Ashley Detter (two from Krista Sumpter). Luckily for Hibriten, its own pitcher was just as dominant. Pope struck out 12 in the game and allowed only three hits. She also racked up her 200th strikeout of the year in a game where the team needed its ace team at the top of her game.

“I just wanted to get three up and three down, so I could let the offense try and go hit again,” she said.

In four of the game's seven innings, she did just that. Only one Bunker Hill runner made it past first base all afternoon.

“Pope threw the ball really well,” Blanton said. “Hopefully tomorrow she can step it up even more.”

The Panthers will face St. Stephens in second-round action in Lenoir. The Indians beat Newton-Conover 13-0 to advance. The game is expected to start around 5:30 p.m. (immediately after the completion of the 4 p.m. game).

HIbriten split its season series with St. Stephens this year, losing 8-0 in the first game (Hibriten twice came away with nothing after having the bases loaded and nobody out) and taking the second meeting when slugger Erika Pratt smashed a walk-off home run in the eighth inning.

“(St. Stephens) is going to be looking for some revenge,” Blanton said. “They are going to be coming after us. But if we come ready to play, we should be fine.”

The Panthers played without usual starters Bailey Goble and Chelsea Walker Monday, with both missing the game due to illness. Their status for Tuesday is uncertain.

Hibriten's seeding in the playoffs will not be effected by the CVAC tournament. The Panthers are locked in as the No. 1 seed in the 2-A portion.