Brandon’s softball team ran into a buzzsaw in the form of Lapeer West.
The Flint Metro League-leading Panthers swept a doubleheader from the host Blackhawks, edging Brandon in the opener 4-3 and then earning a shutout 4-0 in the second game.
Brandon’s record is now 11-11 overall and 4-4 in league play.
The Blackhawks overcame a 3-1 deficit to tie the game at three in the top of the sixth. However, the Panthers scored in the top of the eighth inning to capture the win.
Jill Perry had 11 strikeouts in a losing cause for Brandon. Meridith Dura, Chelsea Wengren, and Katie Flood scored for the Blackhawks.
‘The girls played real well and I thought we had a chance to win,? Brandon coach Don Peters said.
It was a completely different story in the second game, as Lapeer West pitcher Katie Lewis limited the Blackhawks to two hits, with Jessica Liebner and Brooke Schaefer tallying one hit apiece for Brandon.
The second game was postponed until May 11 due to weather.
Brandon earned a split against host Holly in a May 7 doubleheader, rebounding from a 9-7 loss in the first game to win the second game 8-5.
Liebner powered the Blackhawks? offense by going 3-for-4 with two RBI and one run scored in the opener, while Wengren went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI. Flood added two RBI for Brandon.
Wengren keyed the Brandon attack in the nightcap by going 3-for-4, driving in two runs and scoring one.
With the regular season heading into the final few weeks (including four remaining Flint Metro games), Peters said he thinks the Blackhawks will continue to improve and head into districts on a good note.
‘Our goal from the beginning of the season was to keep growing as a team, and I know we’ve done that,? he said. ‘Hopefully, when the playoffs come, we’ll be playing as well as we can.?