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Parkway catcher Hadley Stover throws down to first to complete an out during Thursday's softball game with Celina at Jim Hoess Field.
CELINA - It took a bit of time for Parkway to answer Celina's opening runs.
When the Panthers finally did, they put the game away.
A seven-run sixth inning pushed Parkway ahead to remain unbeaten on the softball season with a 9-2 win over the Bulldogs in a battle of last season's Midwest Athletic Conference and Western Buckeye League champions at Jim Hoess Field on Thursday night.
"I told the girls they were going to be tough," said Parkway coach Trey Stover. "They were going to battle for a WBL title. It was a great test and a great softball game."
The win moves Parkway to 4-0 on the season as Celina drops its first game to go to 4-1.
The start of the game had the feeling of a pitchers' duel as Celina's Colbie Kinney and Parkway's Bryn Schoenleben traded naughts for the first two innings.
Celina's Campbelle Gass applies the tag to Parkway's Emmery Temple.
Celina struck first in the third as Alexis Siefring hit a one-out single. Campbelle Gass and Maddie Allen followed with back-to-back walks to load the bases for Kinney, who belted a single to right, scoring Siefring and Gass as Allen went to third and Kinney took second on the throw. Schoenleben got Lilly Gonzalez to pop to third, then walked Paiton Rhodes to load the bases for Avery Stachler who flied out to right to end the threat.
Schoenleben got through the fourth unscathed before turning the ball over to Brittyn Bruns, who worked out of a two-on jam in both the fifth and sixth innings.
"You leave (10) runners on base, that doesn't always win ballgames," said Celina coach Renee Williams. "We have to be better stringing things together."
Kinney was sharp, scattering four hits through the first five innings with five strikeouts. Parkway had runners in scoring position in the first, third and fifth, but Kinney and the Bulldogs came up with the plays to keep the Panthers from scoring.
"Hats off to Kinney. She's a tough pitcher. Probably one of the best we'll see this year," said coach Stover. "Both teams had some opportunities early. We didn't come through. They did. Hats' off to Bryn as well. She got through that inning."
Parkway's Savada Triplett makes the catch at first base.
The tide turned in the sixth as Schoenleben drew a lead-off walk. Megan Hughes then reached base on an error to put two on. KJae Stover hit a weak grounder down the third base line and beat out the throw to load the bases for Kylie Younker, who hit a hard grounder to first, allowing Schoenleben to score to cut it to 2-1. Savada Triplett stepped to the plate and took Kinney's first offering over the fence in left-center, putting Parkway ahead 4-2. Kinney got the second out by enticing Hadley Stover to pop up to third, but Bruns singled, Madelyn Stover reached on an error to score her cousin Bruns to make it 5-2. Gonzalez ran in from first to take over for Kinney, and was greeted by Emmery Temple blistering a shot over the fence in center to make it 7-2 before Celina got the final out.
"The whole game I told them not to swing so hard. They were trying to kill it," said coach Stover. "Just be smooth, put the ball into play and good things will happen. Sixth inning we started doing that. Got a couple baserunners. So proud of Savada."
Things unraveled more for Celina in the seventh. KJae Stover had a one-out single. Younker singled to left, with a hiccup picking up the ball sending the runners up a base. Triplett lofted a fly to right that was caught, allowing KJae Stover to score with a throwing error moving Younker to third. Hadley Stover then singled to center to bing in the final run.
Bruns quickly got the first two outs in the bottom of the seventh before Rhodes was hit by a pitch. Bruns quickly shut down any Celina rally hopes by striking out Stachler for the final out.
"Offense wins games, defense saves games," said Williams, a reference to the five Celina errors in the game. "We have to be better defensively."
Bruns went 3-for-5 for Parkway. Temple, KJae Stover and Hadley Stover each added two hits.
Parkway hosts Wapakoneta on Saturday for a doubleheader. Celina is off this weekend, returning Monday with a road trip to Fort Recovery.
