A familiar stage was set for the Paris Lady Tiger softball team Monday, hosting the Pana Panthers to begin their postseason play, a setting reminiscent of the 2021 spring playoff. In that game, Paris let Pana hang around for a few innings before winning 12-2 in route to a Sweet 16 appearance.

2023’s opener was anything but in favor of the Lady Tigers. Pana scored in the first inning off starter Peighton Smith when a Panther, who had reached on a hard smash to third, crossed the plate on a two-out bloop single. Smith then recorded her third strikeout of the inning, but the damage was done.

Paris did not score their first run until the fourth inning.

Becca Minor reached in the first when she was hit by a pitch but was stranded when Caradan Hoff- man’s smash found a Pana glove in the outfield. Paris stranded two in the second after Kensley Cox singled and Kilee Edwards reached on an error.

In the third, Minor thought she had picked up an RBI for team’s first run with a line drive to the outfield. It was hit directly towards the fielder but Jayden Bishop’s speed had helped her hit a triple down the left field line in the previous at-bat and had her poised to score from 60 feet away. But she broke with the crack of the bat and had to retreat before heading home. By the time she tagged, the relay was already underway

An inch from the plate, Bishop was tagged for the third out of the inning.

Peighton Smith appeared ready to go the distance and hold Pana to their lone run. She again struck out the side in the second, this time in order. But things broke loose in the third.

Smith recorded her seventh strikeout of the day to start the inning, but then walked a batter who was still at first when the next hitter flew out to left fielder Emma Kemper. The next four Panthers successfully reached base.

A single advanced the runner to third. A Lady Tiger error in the infield made it a 2-0 score. Smith hit the next batter to load the bases before Pana’s six-hole hit- ter cleared them with a double to right field. Smith’s eighth strike-out of the game came with the Lady Tigers trailing by five runs.

 Smith fanned one more Pana batter in the fourth before the Lady Tiger offense finally got on the board. Hoffman floated a pitch into center for a hit, then advanced all the way to third on a Kaitlyn Coombes sacrifice bunt. Cox grounded out to drive in Hoffman making the score 5-1. Zoe Sanders got on base on an error with two outs, but a strikeout ended the inning.

Pana went down in order in the top of the fifth and Paris had 9-1- 2 due up in the bottom half. Cloe Thompson’s smash was caught by the Panther third baseman. Kem- per popped the first pitch she saw into the air behind shortstop.

The softball fell and nev- er touched a glove, a hit for Kemper. Bishop then reached on a convention- al error and went to third when the next batter, Mi- nor, ripped a double to left center, scoring Kemper.

Hoffman sent a single to right, scoring Bishop and courtesy runner Rayah Smith. The inning ended with Paris stranding two runners on base.

Smith worked around a one-out walk in the sixth and a two-out single in the

seventh to give Paris plenty of chances.

Three more runners, representing either the tying run or the game-winning run, were left on during the final two times at bat. Thompson and Bishop were left at second and third after a walk and an error, respectively. Strikeouts of leadoff hitter Kemper and three-hole hitter Minor left the score at 5-4.

In the second, Coombes reached on a bunt single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. But she was stranded as the Lady Tigers could not move her to score.

Smith finished her seven innings with 11 strikeouts and zero earned runs. She allowed four hits and three walks. Hoffman went 2-4 on the day with two RBIs. Kemper, Bishop, Minor, Coombes and Cox all had one hit in their final game as a Paris Tiger.

WEST VIGO 12, PARIS 9

The Tigers had ended their regular season the Friday before in West Terre Haute. A wild game that the Tigers led at one time by a score of 9-2 ended in defeat.

Peighton Smith started and finished for the Tigers, going 2.1 innings, strik- ing out one, allowing six hits, four walks and seven earned runs. Bella Moreschi pitched the middle 3.2 innings, giving up 11 hits, five earned runs and a walk.

Becca Minor hit her final Lady Tiger home run. She paced the offense going 2-3withthreeRBIsandtwo walks. Caradan Hoffman and Kaitlyn Coombes went 2-4 with an RBI and run each. Hoffman and Minor each had a double in the game. Coombes also stole two bases. Emma Kemper and Kilee Edwards each had a hit and an RBI. Ed- wards matched Coombes with two steals. Kensley Cox and Zoe Sanders also had hits for the Tigers. Bishop walked twice in the game and scored each time.