As they’ve done all season, though, the Panthers did their best to make up for Schultz’s absence, battling to the end.
The Panthers led most of the day, taking a 4-2 advantage after two innings and holding it until the fifth, when BA plated three runs.
“BA hit the ball very well against us,” said Coach Schultz. “All five of their runs were earned. With the bases loaded in the top of the fifth inning their pitcher drilled one deep into the outfield that scored three runs.”
The Panthers put runners in scoring position in the bottom of the sixth and seventh but left them stranded.
“We couldn’t get the key hit when we needed it,” said Schultz.
Tara Simon was 2-for-4 for the Panthers with two RBIs, Alyssa Esplan 2-for-4 with one RBI. Anna Stork, Ryann Hagen, Makenna Thiele and Hannah Lundberg had one hit apiece. Hannah scored twice and stole three bases.
Anna Lundberg threw another complete game, giving up five earned runs on seven hits, with six walks and three strikeouts.
The third-seeded Panthers, who were 7-3 in the conference, finished 9-5 overall.
The Cardinals, seeded sixth, lost at second-seeded Waseca Thursday, May 23.
“Overall, I think the girls had a good season,” said Schultz. “They never gave up and always worked hard both in practice and at games. I’m proud of the way they played. We had consistent pitching and catching all year. We are a very young team with only two seniors on our squad. We look forward to next year with experience under our belt and the return of Jade.”
