After escorting one Southeast Conference team to the sidelines on Thursday, the Knoxville Softball Squad looks to do the same and go somewhere the Panthers have not been in nearly 20 years. With a win over Burlington on Saturday, the Panthers will qualify for a spot in the class 4A regional finals. Knoxville defeated Fort Madison on Thursday behind the pitching of Ciara Heffron and timely hitting on a home run by Brittany Bacorn. The Greyhounds sport a very young squad with ten of their roster either 8th graders or freshman. Batting is led by 8th Grader Kylee Hill, who bats .476, has clubbed 14 home runs and has 41 RBI. Saydee Plummer is Burlington’s lead pitcher with a 1.20 ERA, and has struck out 153 batters. Knoxville Coach Carla Smith tells KNIA/KRLS Sports, Burlington is a very solid team, and her team will have to carry the same energy Saturday as it had on Thursday.

Smith: “We’ve got to bring our energy, if we don’t it’s going to be a very short game. If we play like we did Thursday and bring energy we’ll be right there, and we just need that energy and keep pushing.”

Burlington won the Southeast Conference this season and is ranked 12th in the final Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union class 4A poll. Listen to the game live on kniakrls.com KRLS3 with the pregame beginning at 6:45

Photo from Stacie Dunkin