BY RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
IN SHORT: The Lady Panthers softball team scored six runs in the fifth inning to take command of Friday evening’s AAAAA-East matchup at Searcy. Cabot won the game 11-3 to improve to 7-3 so far this season.
The Lady Panthers broke open a scoreless game in the fourth inning to run away from the Searcy Lions last Friday night in a AAAAA-East conference matchup. The Cabot ladies got on the board first with the help of a couple of Searcy errors to take a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning.
After that, Cabot’s bats got hot as the Lady Panthers rolled to an 11-3 victory.
While Cabot got hot at the plate, the Lady Lions defense continued to struggle, committing five total errors and giving four unearned runs.
Cabot’s seven earned runs were still plenty for the win, thanks to a strong pitching performance by freshman standout Cherie Barfield. Barfield gave up just three hits and fanned 11 Searcy batters in going the distance to get the win on the mound. It was her second win in as many nights after holding Mount St. Mary’s scoreless on Thursday.
Holding a 2-0 lead after four innings, Cabot blew the game open with six runs in the fifth inning off seven base hits and two Searcy errors.
The game-breaker came in the form of a two-out, three-run home run by sophomore first baseman Rachel Glover that capped the inning and gave the Lady Panthers an 8-0 lead.
Searcy finally got on the board with one run on two hits and an error, but the Cabot lead was too large to overcome.
Searcy pitcher Emily Hersberger started strong, giving up just one base hit in the first three innings, but got rocked late in the game. Cabot finished with 11 base hits. Hersberger recorded five strikeouts and walked five Lady Panthers.
The games results leaves Cabot 7-3 overall and 3-1 in conference play. The loss was Searcy’s first in three games, as the Lady Lions fell to 3-3 overall.
Cabot will travel to Jacksonville to take on the first-place Lady Red Devils in a huge AAAAA-East matchup Thursday.
