Pekin beat Grinnell at DC-G Invite

GRIMES ? Weather abbreviated Pekin?s day at the Dallas Center-Grimes Invitational Saturday, but the Panthers played their way to a two-game split.

Field conditions switched Pekin?s opening game to a contest vs. Grinnell, which it won 5-2 before falling 4-0 to the host Mustangs.

In the second game, DC-G became the first team all year to get the best of Panther pitcher Mackenzie Laux and handed out her first loss in 11 starts. The Mustang offense picked its holes in the Pekin defense and scratched out nine hits and posted three earned runs against Laux, who had given up just one in 2010 prior to Saturday.

?They play in a 3A league in Des Moines and they see the type of pitching that Mackenzie brings quite a bit,? said Pekin head coach Bryan Marlay. ?We even played good defense, but give them credit for finding the places we weren?t.?

When Pekin picked up the bat, it had to deal with DC-G ace Paige Lowary. The freshman left-hander brought plenty of power and location to hold the Panthers down for two hits and no runs. Pekin got two runners in scoring position with one out in the fifth, but failed to make it show on the scoreboard. Lowary then picked up a two-RBI single in the top of the seventh to all but seal the win.

In the Panthers? first game of the day, Leslie Stone gave up two unearned runs and struck out two in 4 1/3 innings to picke up the win. Laux pitched the final 2 2/3 innings to get the save.

Stone was aided by a three-run top of the first paced by Mycaela Crouse?s run-scoring single to get Pekin on the board. Crouse finished the game 2-4 at the plate as part of the nine-hit offense that saw eight different Panthers record a hit.

Pekin will be back in conference play tonight to defend its undefeated SEISC north division record at home vs. Wapello.