NORTH VERNON— Jennings County’s softball matchup against Columbus East on Friday was Katie Mahoney’s first game back since a car accident a little more than a week ago, but she picked up right where she left off.
Mahoney went 2 for 3 with two doubles and three RBIs on on her way to helping the Panthers get an 8-1 Hoosier Hills Conference opponent win against Columbus East.
“I think she just showed up today and did exactly what she did before she got into the accident,” Jennings coach Bobby Willis said. “That’s kind of her role with runners on. She puts the bat on the ball, and she drives it somewhere, and good things happens. So she absolutely came right back, and that is a bat that we’ve missed for the last week-and-a-half or two weeks.”
The Panthers (10-9, 4-2) scored their first three runs on an RBI from pitcher Gabby Mahoney in the first inning, followed by Katie Mahoney’s two-run double in the second. Jennings hung on to its three-run lead until Katie Mahoney hit her third RBI in the bottom of the fourth.
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The Panthers had two out the fourth before East pitcher Brooke Valles walked both Lexi Brown and Gabby Mahoney. That helped set up two two-run singles by Tori Lee and Carissa Sabelhaus to push the lead to 8-0.
“Brooke had really pitched very, very well up to that point,” East coach Rusty Brummett said. “They were probably getting some good looks at her. I probably should have done something a little bit earlier in the inning … I had faith in Brooke that she’d be able to get us through, and we didn’t make a couple plays behind her.”
The Olympians (10-11, 3-4) did manage to get on the board in the seventh on an RBI by Jenna Robbins.
Kaitlin Brummett went 2 for 3 for East. Valles pitched the first four innings and allowed nine hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Jordan Johnston pitched the remaining two innings and retired all six batters with two strikeouts.
Gabby Mahoney pitched the whole game for the Panthers and had six strikeouts and three walks. Sabelhaus went 2 for 3 with a double, and Tori Lee went 2 for 3.
Katie Mahoney liked the way she and her team played against the Olympians but isn’t looking to get complacent.
“I think we did good, but I think we can do better,” she said. “It feels really really good (to be back).”
