Sines’ late-game RBIs push Lady Panthers past Mechanicsburg

“We had two runners in scoring position and I knew I had to put the ball in play.”

That was Maddi Sines’ assessment as she strode to the plate in the home half of the sixth inning on Wednesday.

The Fairbanks junior turned on an offering from Mechanicsburg hurler Mylee DeLong and tripled in Jenna Dee and Macy Kise for the runs that eventually gave the Lady Panthers a 2-1 victory.

It was an absolutely miserable night for softball on the diamond in Milford Center.

“It was cold, rainy and icy,” said FHS coach Amy Sines. “We got all of it tonight and still found a way to win.”

The victory gave the Lady Panthers their seventh overall triumph (in eight outings) and put their Ohio Heritage Conference North Division record at 4-0.

FHS holds a two-game lead over West Jefferson (2-0) in the division.

Although happy with the victory, coach Sines admitted her team did not play its best.

“We only had four hits and didn’t play defense like we should (with four errors),” she said.

Maddi Sines and DeLong managed to keep the opposing team off the scoreboard through four innings.

The Indians got five runners on board via a base hit, walk, a couple of fielder’s choice plays and a fielding miscue.

FHS stranded three runners during that stretch.

Maddi Sines admitted the ball was difficult to grip in the wet, cold conditions.

Both teams did what they could to keep the softball in somewhat decent shape.

“We were able to change softballs when they got wet,” said Sines.

The rain fell a little harder and was mixed with ice pellets as action moved into the visitors’ portion of the fifth.

FHS committed a couple of errors and Mechanicsburg’s Avery McDowell doubled in a run.

A ground ball out and a wild rundown between third base and the plate resulted in the final out that got Fairbanks out of further trouble.

Elizabeth Gregory singled for Fairbanks in the bottom of the fifth, but was stranded after DeLong coaxed three straight outs.

Sines walked a batter with two down in the top of the sixth, but produced a strikeout to end the inning.

With one down in the home half of the sixth, Dee drew a free pass.

That was followed by Kise’s base hit that put runners at first and second.

A ground ball produced an out as Dee and Kise held their bases.

Sines then worked a full count against DeLong.

“It was a little nerve-racking with the 3-2 count,” Sines admitted. “I was just hoping to get a pitch I could hit… hopefully I could drive in a run to tie the game.”

Instead, she blasted the triple that brought Dee around for the tying score and Kise in with the go-ahead tally.

“Maddi’s hit was huge,” said coach Sines.

A ground ball got the Indians out of the jam, but left them trailing 2-1 going into the top of the seventh.

Sines struck out lead-off batter Clara Forest after going to a 2-2 count.

The same count faced Keelyn McGhee before she lifted a fly ball that drifted foul in right field.

Fairbanks’ Kyah Hendren ran down the ball and caught it in foul territory for the second out.

Mechanicsburg’s Lexi Poland lofted another fly ball between center and right fields.

Hendren made her second consecutive putout to secure the victory.

Maddi Sines went the distance in the pitching circle. She scattered a pair of hits, struck out seven and walked two.

“Maddi threw very well,” said coach Sines.

“My change-up worked well whenever I got behind the count,” said the younger Sines. “This was a game we just had to grind out to win.”

M’burg 000 010 0-1 2 0

FHS 000 002 x-2 4 4

WP: Sines

LP: DeLong