State playoff run comes to end for Union County

VIDALIA, GA – The state playoff run for the Union County Lady Panthers softball squad ended Oct. 17 with a loss to Vidalia on the road in the second round of the Class AA postseason.

The Lady Panthers (16-15) lost the third game of the three-game series 10-2 after forcing game three with a gutsy win the day before.

The Lady Panthers struck first in the game. The offense put a run on the board in the top half of the first inning on a leadoff homerun from senior Mary Wischmeyer.

Wischmeyer took the first pitch she saw from Vidalia starting pitcher Madison Starr and sent it over the centerfield wall to put Union County up 1-0.

Starr settled in from there, retiring the majority of batters she faced and keeping the Union County bats quiet. Other than a bunt single from Ansley Collins to start the second inning, Starr was clean until the top of the sixth.

Trailing 6-1, the Lady Panthers managed to score their second run of the game thanks to an earned walk and a ground-ball triple.

After Lexi Sisum earned a one-out walk on five pitches in the top of the sixth, Emma Roxbury drove a sharp ground ball past the third baseman. Roxbury came into third base with a triple and Sisum crossed the plate to give Union County life down 6-2.

Back-to-back ground-ball outs ended the threat for Union County, who went into the bottom of the sixth still trailing 6-2.

Vidalia poured on the runs in the bottom half of the frame, putting four runners across the plate to earn the mercy-rule win, six-inning victory.

Wischemeyer, Roxbury, and Collins were the only Lady Panthers to get a hit in the loss.

With the final out, Union County’s run in the Class AA state playoff came to an end.