INDIANOLA, Iowa – Greenville softball battled through a challenging NCAA Regional appearance this week, showing resilience and offensive flashes against two strong opponents in postseason play and capping off another historic season.
How it Happened:
The Panthers opened the regional against Simpson and were held scoreless in a 4-0 defeat despite recording eight hits.
Emma Longcor and
Ashlyn Colvis each collected two hits, while
Sarah Salas,
Anna Cox,
Rylee Bloomer, and
Emma Williams all added hits throughout.
In the circle, Salas pitched four innings with three strikeouts before
Kayla Kocher came in for relief in the fifth. Greenville consistently put runners on base throughout the contest but was unable to break through against Simpson's ace.
Facing elimination on Friday, Greenville jumped out to a fast start against Central (IA). Longcor delivered an RBI double in the opening inning before Salas launched a three-run homer to right field, giving the Panthers an early 4-1 advantage. However, Central battled back to trump the Panthers 11-5.
Greenville finished with 10 hits in the contest, led by Longcor's three-hit performance and two hits from Bloomer.
Makenna Budde also added an RBI single during the Panthers' fifth-inning push.
Despite the season-ending loss, Greenville closed the year with 31 wins and an NCAA Regional appearance after capturing the conference tournament championship for the third consecutive year.
