Lady Panthers Rally Past Wayne Trace in 5–3 Victory

On Thursday, April 10, the Paulding Varsity Lady Panthers traveled to Wayne Trace and secured a 5–3 win over the Lady Raiders in a tightly contested non-league softball matchup.

Trailing 3–2 after four innings, Paulding surged ahead with three runs in the top of the seventh, taking advantage of timely hitting and Raider errors. The win brings momentum to Paulding as they continue their spring campaign.

Tia Mendez, a junior, went the distance on the mound for the Panthers. She pitched seven strong innings, allowing five hits and three earned runs while striking out five and walking four. Mendez also contributed at the plate with an RBI single and a stolen base.

Senior shortstop Brooklynn Bakle led the offense, going 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and a stolen base. Freshman third baseman Jalyn Klopfenstein added a hit, scored twice, and stole a base. Sophomore catcher Mariah Klopfenstein drove in two runs, while Samantha Leal, a junior, recorded two hits and scored once.

Other offensive contributors included left fielder Cadence Schwab (1 run), freshman first baseman Delaney Johanns (1 hit), and center fielder Marley Parrett, who reached base twice on walks. Civil Pumphrey and Isa Burtch also saw action.

Wayne Trace was led by Sydney Williams, who knocked in all three of their runs on a pair of doubles. The Raiders briefly held a 3–2 lead after a big fourth inning, but were held scoreless the rest of the way by Mendez and the Panther defense, which played error-free softball.

With nine hits and heads-up base-running, Paulding capitalized on two Raider miscues late in the game. The loss went to Wayne Trace’s Riley McGarvey, who pitched all seven innings and allowed just two earned runs on nine hits.

Paulding improves their record and will look to carry this late-inning comeback energy into their next matchup.