Benicia High’s varsity softball team finally got tested in Solano County Athletic Conference play on Friday and passed with flying colors.
Shelby Thompson went 3-for-3 with an RBI and Alex Wardlow drove in two runs as the Lady Panthers beat visiting Vanden, 6-4. The win kept the Lady Panthers perfect in SCAC play at 9-0 and increased their lead in the SCAC to two games over the Lady Vikings, who fell to 10-5 overall and 7-2 in the SCAC.
“I think we had good energy and we came through,” Wardlow said. “I’m glad we won but we definitely still have things we need to work on. We’re a hard-working team and we don’t give up.”
Benicia (11-4 overall) didn’t give up whenever Vanden would pose a threat. The Lady Vikings scored a run in the top of the first inning on a single and two errors, but Benicia answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Wardlow got things started with a leadoff walk and Chanler Powell was hit by a pitch. After a fly out, Thompson belted a two-run double to put Benicia in front.
Vanden tied things up in the top of the fourth thanks to another Benicia error, but again the Lady Panthers had an answer. Mallory Barnard led off the bottom of the fifth with a walk and Alana Combes singled. Powell then delivered an RBI single and Danielle Kranz brought home another run with an RBI single up the middle to make it 4-2.
“That really pumped us up,” Wardlow said of Benicia’s answering Vanden’s scoring. “We had each other’s back and came through for each other.”
Another error – one of six on the day for Benicia – led to another Vanden run in the top of the sixth, but again the Lady Panthers responded with a two-run single by Wardlow in the bottom of the inning. Kiwi McDaniel hit a solo homer in the seventh for Vanden and the Lady Vikings managed to get the potential tying run to the plate, but Benicia held on for the victory.
Kranz pitched all seven innings for Benicia and scattered five hits, one walk and three hit batters to pick up the win. Kranz had allowed a total of one hit in her previous four starts.
Vanden second baseman Korie Corral broke her leg at the end of the third inning after colliding with shortstop Talia Trujillo on a pop up. A medical unit took Corral to the hospital after a delay of about 40 minutes.
Benicia plays at Bethel on Wednesday.
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