For The Dialog
PIKE CREEK – Senior Abby Cunningham pitched a six-hitter, striking out eight and driving in the only run as the seventh-ranked Padua Pandas defeated No. 5 Red Lion Christian, 1-0, on April 27.
The Lions had a early chance in the first inning as Julia Thuer lead off the game with a ground-rule double. Cunningham struck out the next two batters and got opposing pitcher Taylor Beres to pop out to her to end the threat.
The Pandas got a single by Caitlin Baxter in the bottom of the first. She reached second on a wild pitch and scored on a two-out bloop single from Cunningham.
“She threw me inside first pitch, and I was really mad I didn’t swing at that one. That’s my pitch,” Cunningham said. “But then she threw me outside, and I just knew I had to extend my hands and poke it out to the outfield.”
Beres settled down and retired the next 10 Pandas, but her team’s offense was also shut down by Cunningham. The Lions got singles by two freshmen. Gabriella Lano laced a one-out single followed by a Thuer single. The next batter, Zoe Wilcox, hit a line-drive smash that Pandas third baseman Alexandra Musial caught and she was able to catch Lano too far off second base for the inning-ending twin killing.
Musial led off the bottom of the fifth with a single, but Beres got the next three batters to get out of the inning. Cunningham retired the first two batters to start the sixth but then got in trouble. Wilcox singled, and Courtney Paolantonio reached first base after striking out when the ball was in the dirt. Beres was then hit by a pitch to load the bases. Abigail Smith then battled Cunningham, fouling off four balls with two strikes on her. Cunningham got her with a full-count backdoor curve for a called third strike to get out of the jam.
“That was stressful,” Cunningham said. “It was nerve-wracking. I kept on throwing curves because she struggled her two previous at bats. But she kept fouling them off … I then throw a backdoor curve to strike her out.”
In the final inning, Caroline Paolantonio reached on a one out single but Cunningham got a ground ball back to her and then induced a pop up to Musial to end the game.
The Pandas (7-2) have won four straight and face a good Delaware Military Academy squad Saturday at noon. The Lions (8-3) host St. Elizabeth on Monday at 3:45 p.m.
