Practice makes perfect for Pekin softball in doubleheader rout of English Valleys

NORTH ENGLISH ? ?It?s nice to get back in there and swing the bats,? said Pekin softball coach Bryan Marlay after Tuesday?s 10-5 and 17-1 wins against English Valleys.

Coming off the heels of a disappointing one-hit performance against Highland on Monday, ?swinging the bats? is just one way to put it. The Panthers busted out for 31 total hits ? a whopping 13 of those going for extra bases in the two blowout wins.

?Usually we get some hitting in before we leave for road games, but last night, an hour and a half before bus time, the girls started filing in. The team went through the hitting stations, set up the pitching machine and took it upon themselves to get some swings in,? Marlay said. ?They were disappointed with what happened on Monday and seeing that shows what type of team we have.?

The practice helped. Pekin never trailed in either of the two games as Mycaela Crouse and Leslie Stone delivered their usual solid performance from the pitcher?s circle. The two both earned wins as Crouse struck out three in game one and Stone allowed just four hits and one run while striking out four in the five-inning game two.

Crouse and Jessica Deutsch led the offensive explosion with three double apiece as Crouse went 5-8 on the evening with five RBIs. Shelby Blakely finished 4-7 with three runs scored, and Jessi Martin recorded a triple for Pekin while going 3-6.

?We?re going to have to score runs, you always have to score runs to win,? Marlay added.

The Panthers hope to see the hot streak carry over to today ? a busy day that features a trip to Columbus Junction to complete a make up game from June 23 before heading to New London for a scheduled game against the Tigers. The varsity will follow the JVgame set to begin at 6 p.m.