The Morton College Panther softball squad was unable to grab a victory during their Sunday doubleheader against Bay College. Their doubleheader was at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn and the Panthers had a pair of five inning games, with 12-1 and 15-1 results.
''The day was unfortunate, but one inning is setting the tone whether it's good or bad for us," coach Aaron Moore said.
Game one featured a second inning where Bay College connected on six extra-base hits, including a triple and a home run. They had one that went off the top of the wall that managed to stay in the park, but the Panthers brought their gloves on a few impressive defensive plays throughout the day.
There were a handful of defensive grabs that boosted the confidence of the Panthers. Star outfielder Jacklyn Roney showed off her baserunning prowess in the second game of the doubleheader.
She ended up gunning a runner at home plate when Bay College attempted to send in several runners off of a few base knocks that landed in front of the outfielders. Roney also hauled in an impressive diving catch that prevented extra runners from scoring as well.
Paulina Viveros also did a little bit of everything on Sunday, too. She was behind the dish defensively, and also could move well enough laterally at shortstop to throw out a few Bay College players that tested her. It wasn't wise for the few members of Bay College that hit it towards her, but Viveros and the Panthers took outs as they came by.
Hitting fourth in the first game, her offensive prowess was apparent early on. She brings plenty to the lineup with her bat and ended up driving in the first run of the doubleheader. It was a RBI single that plated Roney, which gave the Panthers a temporary 1-0 lead.
Thais Miranda would add on a two-out double the following inning for a much-needed extra-base hit, but Miranda would get stranded. Still, the calling card has been their defense with the ability to cut down runners and keep the ball in front of them at all costs.
'We played well on defense. That team (Bay College) hits the ball really well with a ton of extra-base hits. It may not show on the scoreboard for us but the results will happen sometimes. They've (Bay) played 25 more games than us, which makes a big difference. Some of these teams are more seasoned and we are trying to figure things out. Setting a consistent mindset of executing and building off of that are our number one goals,'' Moore said.
''Missing three starters hurt. Dealing with adversity and figuring out who is going to step up is key. I always say you never lose your job to injury, but somebody could steal it and it's an opportunity for somebody to take advantage. We must be ready for the challenge,'' Moore said.
The Panthers will look to put this one behind them as they have eight upcoming games for the week ahead. Weather permitting, their four doubleheaders will be on Tuesday (Waubonsee Community College), Wednesday (South Suburban College), Thursday (College of Lake County), and Saturday (Kishwaukee College).
Three of the four matchups at the moments are scheduled road matchups. Be sure to always keep it locked here on GoMCPanthers.com and check out our social media pages @McAthletics1924 and @MortonCollegeSB for more upcoming featured stories, interviews, and all the latest news for Panther softball.
