Senior Night had a happy ending for the Brookhaven LadyPanthers. Playing their final regular season game Thursday night,the Lady Panthers clawed their way to a narrow 4-3 win over NorthPike’s Lady Jaguars as Casey Risher slid home with the decisive runon a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh.

BHS (22-4) begins Class 4A state fastpitch playoff actionSaturday, hosting the winner of the South Jones-Wayne County gameat the Lady Panther Softball Complex. The first game in thebest-of-three series begins at 1:30, followed by the second at2:30.

North Pike (17-10, 9-1), the Division 7-3A champ, hosts GreeneCounty Saturday, at 1 and 3 p.m.

Pitcher Terri Hodges and catcher Katie Stewart, the 2 seniors onthe BHS squad were delighted to get the hard-earned victory. Hodgespitched a 5-hitter, striking out 11 batters and walking none.

Hodges helped end a scoring drought in the fifth when her teamplated 3 runs. After Hannah Lowman drove in the first run, Hodgesslapped an RBI single up the middle off relief pitcher BriannaBrister, an eighth grader.

Sabrina Delaughter followed with an RBI single off North Pikethird baseman Charmesia Gordon’s glove for a 3-1 lead.

“It was a nail-biter,” said Hodges. “I believe in my teammates.They came through when we needed them.”

She helped soak BHS head coach Chad Walker with a cooler of icewater after the game.

“We are ready for the playoffs,” said Hodges. “It feels good tobe playing at home, too.”

Hodges was a key to BHS winning the Division 6-4A crown for thefirst time this year.

“It was a classic Brookhaven-North Pike game,” said Walker. “Weleft too many people on base.”

For the game, BHS stranded 8 runners. In the seventh, Bristerhit Hodges and Stewart with pitches to load the bases with one out.After Brister struck out Delaughter, Stevie Wright came to bat andBrister threw the wild pitch.

North Pike coach Sonya Wallace started sophomore Kelsey Lord onthe mound. Brister replaced Lord in the fifth.

“It was a pressure game and we needed it before the playoffs,”said Wallace. “Both teams needed it.

“Our girls gave a good effort and our pitchers did well,” shecontinued. “I wanted to use both of them tonight. They both havestepped up big this year.”

Wallace’s Lady Jaguars took a 1-0 lead in the fourth. MaggieDunaway reached on an error and came around to score on a slowdribbler after stealing second and going to third on a passedball.

North Pike tied the game in the sixth at 3-3. Shortstop KaitlynPerry led off with a hard smash to center field, the first hit offHodges. Dunaway slapped an RBI triple to the right field fence,making it 3-2. Lord’s RBI double dropped in behind third base andit was 3-3.

Hodges retired the next 2 batters on a fly ball and a strikeout.In the seventh, North Pike threatened to pull ahead after Gordonand Kari Bessonette reached base on singles with 1 out. But thenext 2 batters were retired on a popup and a grounder.

Junior Varsity Action

North Pike won the JV game 7-1 as the Lady Jaguars finished13-0.