Pacers end season with 8-7 loss to Panthers

The No. 4 Ferrum Panthers belted 14 hits to back the complete game effort of starter Kaitlyn Cutter to edge the No. 8 Peace Pacers, 8-7 and stay alive in the loser's bracket of the USA South tournament.

Ferrum (2-1) jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two innings.  Catcher Courtney Burner had the first of her two RBI singles in the game in the first inning and Shelbie Hall doubled and came around to score in the second.

Peace (1-2) answered back with a three-run homer by Courtney Long on a line drive past a diving Karly Thompson in the top of the third inning.

The Panthers tacked on a run in the fourth on Burner's second RBI hit, this one a solid single to center field.

Morgan Weathington hit a two-run triple to left center in the fifth inning to bring the Pacers within one and scored the tying run when she came home on an RBI single by Amanda Rothwell.

But Ferrum answered back in the bottom of the fifth.  Brittani Angelson drove in her second run of the game, this one on a sacrifice fly, to put the Panthers back on top.  A fielding error, the fourth of the game for Peace, led to the second run of the inning.

The Pacers cut the deficit to one when Amanda Rothwell delivered a two-out single in the seventh inning. But Culler induced a comebacker to end the game and send Ferrum on to Saturday.