Harper hurls no-hitter
No. 5 ranked Lady Panthers pick up where they left off
By JARED PUTNAM Union Sentinel Editor

Sentinel photos/Jared Putnam Kaley Sullivan beats the ball to the plate, scoring on a wild pitch during the fifth inning.

It may have only been a pre-season scrimmage game, but the Lady Panthers softball team wasted no time showing why they are ranked no. 5 in the state in Class AA polls.

Starting pitcher April Harper already appeared to be in mid-season form, hurling a no-hitter in which she allowed only two walks and one hit batsman, while striking out 12 Pickens Nettes.

Harper also started the scoring for Union County, driving in Kaitlyn Seabolt with an RBI double in the first inning. Kaley Sullivan also scored when Kayla Gowder took a basesloaded walk, giving Union a 2-0 lead.

The Nettes threatened in the bottom of the first with two baserunners on and only one out, but Harper struck out the next two batters to get out of the jam.

The lead remained at two until the fifth inning, when Brooklyn Swartz scored on a double by Kaley Sullivan. An infield hit by Harper advanced Sullivan to third, and she later scored on a wild pitch.

April Harper dominated the Nettes in the Lady Panthers first (scrimmage) game, held at Pickens County. Harper struck out 12 hitters while allowing no hits, two walks and one hbp. She capped off the performance by striking out the side in the ninth inning. Harper also helped herself at the plate in the first inning, driving in the only run she would need with a double to deep center field.

After Courtney Seabolt singled, Ashley Beltinck reached on an error, advancing Seabolt to third. Seabolt scored on an error, and Beltinck scored on a double by Brittany Massey-Lentz, who also later scored on a wild pitch to boost the lead to 6-0.

The Lady Panthers added one final run in the seventh inning when Gowder scored on a single by Massey-Lentz.

Harper put the exclamation point on the win when she took the mound in the bottom of the ninth, striking out the side to preserve the gem.

Next up for the Lady Panthers is the Lanier Point Tournament, August 17-18, followed by JV and varsity games against White County, scheduled for next Tuesday, August 21, at Meeks Park.

Sentinel photo/Jared Putnam A Pickens baserunner dives back to the first base bag as Brooklyn Swartz digs the throw out of the dirt.