There’s nothing like stringing together a few hits in the beginning of a game to give a team confidence. That’s been the key as of late for Panther Valley.

The Panthers’ hitters got it going from the start on Tuesday in a non-league matchup against Notre Dame East Stroudsburg, defeating the Spartans, 11-5. It was Panther Valley’s second victory in its last three games.

“We’ve been hitting the ball much better throughout the entire lineup lately, and that’s something that we really struggled with early on in the season,” said Panther Valley head coach Tara Yuricheck. “You could tell the girls just went out there and had fun today. It was raining, they were playing loose and free and they were just having fun.

“We have a very young team, so it was good to see them play well today and get the win.”

PV was able to jump out to a 2-0 lead after the first as Kaidence Krapf and Mikayla Yuricheck picked up hits and Brenna Beshock knocked them in.

But it was in the third when the Panthers managed to pull away.

PV scored six runs in the inning to take an 8-1 advantage after Notre Dame was able to get a run across in the top of the inning. The Panthers had five hits in the frame, with Krapf coming through with two RBIs and freshman Morgan O’Brien knocking in three runners. O’Brien‘s run support came by the way of a three-run homer.

“I just really liked what I saw today, and I was seeing pitches well. If I see one coming where I think it’s going to hit the middle of the plate, I try to take advantage of that,” said O’Brien. “I’m just really proud of our team today for how we hit the ball.”

The Spartans tried to get back into the game, scoring four runs in the fourth inning to close the deficit to 8-5, but veteran hurler Beshock shut the door on Notre Dame the rest of the way, holding them scoreless from the fifth inning on.

“I was able to locate my pitches on the inside, and especially on the outside today, and my riser pitch was really working well,” said Beshock. “I’m just really proud of my teammates today. We have a young team, with only a few seniors, and our younger girls have been playing better and getting better, and that showed today.”

The Panthers were able to tack on two more runs in the bottom of the fourth, and a run in the sixth on yet another home run from O’Brien - this time a solo knock to keep the Spartans at a comfortable distance.

HOT HITTERS ... O’Brien led PV with three hits, two home runs and four RBIs. Krapf, Beshock and Ivy Quigley all had two hits and two RBIs.

FROM THE CIRCLE ... Beshock finished the day striking out eight.

RUN SUPPORT ... The Panthers have scored a combined 32 runs in their two recent wins.

Notre Dame-ES 001 400 0 - 5 7 4

Panther Valley 206 201 x - 11 14 5

Pansy and Vandeloechi; Beshock and Yuricheck. W - Beshock. L - Pansy. HR: Panther Valley - O’Brien 2 (3rd, two on; 6th, none on).