North Myrtle Beach Times Serving our Community and the Grand Strand for over 50 years
By John Smithson
The North Myrtle Beach Lady Chiefs softball team went 0-3 in their 6AAAAA region series last week, losing 7-0, 8-3 and 5-0 to the Panthers.
The Chiefs began the series last Monday at Carolina Forest and faced Panthers pitcher Kaysen Warehime who shut out the Chiefs on two hits while striking out 14 NMB batters. The Chiefs only had three base runners in the whole game as they could not get to Warehime at all.
Sierra Bendik started for the Chiefs and gave up one run in the bottom of the first inning but pitched well until the bottom of the fifth. A Chiefs error with one out seemed to open the floodgates for four singles and a double and another Chiefs error that gave the Panthers a 6-0 lead and chased Bendik.
Carolina Forest added another run in the sixth inning for their 7-0 win. Bendik allowed only two earned runs in her 4 1/3 innings. Capri Laughlin pitched in relief and gave up two runs in 1 2/3 innings.
Game two of the series moved back to The Hank on Tuesday. The Panthers scored an unearned run with two out in the top of the first inning and another run in the second to lead 2-0. The Chiefs had the bases loaded in the bottom of the second but couldn’t score.
The Panthers took advantage of two hit batsmen, a sacrifice fly, single and Chiefs error to score three more runs in the top of the third inning. The Chiefs got their first run in the bottom of the third inning after Carolina Porter and Sadie Olson singled and Hadley Leonhardt’s grounder and Panthers error on the play scored Olson.
Bendik was on the mound in the top of the fifth and was touched up for three runs on two home runs and 8-1 Panthers lead. The Chiefs used a single, a walk and an error to score Olson with another run in the bottom of the fifth. The Chiefs got their final run in the bottom of the seventh. Izzy Bruno doubled to left and scored on a Lilly Carney single for the 8-3 final score.
Down two games to none in the series the Chiefs went back to Carolina Forest for game three and a familiar face and arm on the mound for the Panthers. Kaysen Warehime started the game for Carolina Forest and gave up one hit and struck out nine Chiefs before leaving the game after four innings.
Khloe Javetski and Skylar Lytton pitched the rest of the game and kept the shutout. Leonhardt with two hits and Bendik one, the only Chiefs hits in the game.
The Panthers scored one run in the bottom of the first inning off of starter Bendik and they added three more runs in the bottom of the fourth to close out Bendik’s day as pitcher. Isabella Foster pitched the last two innings for the Chiefs and gave up one run in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The Chiefs offense was held to five hits total in two of the games where Warehime pitched and actually outhit the Panthers in the game they won 8-3. The Chiefs just couldn’t get a big hit when they needed it.
The Chiefs were in action Monday against Greenbriar Christian Academy and had a game scheduled Thursday against South Range and a game tomorrow against Archbishop Hoban. All games this week were part of the Grand Strand Classic played at the NMB Sports Complex.
Next week the Chiefs play St. James on Monday at St. James and then meet the Lady Sharks Wednesday home at The Hank in the 6AAAAA region games.
