Bottom of order rises to top for Bloomington South softball vs North
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Bloomington South's softball team worked from the bottom up against rival North.
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The Panthers got at least one hit from every starter while piling up 18 in an 11-2 Conference Indiana victory Tuesday, April 28, but the lower part of the order did more than its share of damage thanks to 7-8 hitters Perry Murphy and Aminah Saahir.
Murphy, a sophomore right fielder, went 4-for-4 with two RBIs and scored three times. Saahir, a junior third baseman, clubbed three doubles and drove in three. Even in the 9 spot, pitcher Rachel Johnson, who had been struggling at the plate, had a pair of singles and two RBIs to help her own cause.
Both Murphy and Saahir are first-year starters and look like they're starting to figure things out. Murphy is batting a robust .600.
"They're coming on strong right now, hitting-wise," South coach Meg Montgomery said. "I know Perry is seeing the ball extremely well. Just very consistent and great at where they're pitching it, taking it down the right field line if its outside.
"She's just very patient at the plate and relaxed. She's having fun. As a hitter, to stay focused in the North-South game and go 4-for-4 is huge."
Saahir has now lifted her average to .344 with seven extra-base hits out of her 10 on the season.
"Aminah, her power, she's put a lot of time in the weight room getting stronger," Montgomery said. "She's finding her way with the bat right now.
"What I like about Aminah, she's a spark for our team. You see her out there having fun, but she elevates our team to the next level."
Hot start carries Panthers
South (7-3, 2-2) had 13 hits in the first three innings, seven alone in a six-run third that broke it open.
Everything started with a one-out single by Larkyn Ivey. The floodgates were opened from there as hits by Abby Purtlebaugh, Taylor Crohn, Murphy and a Saahir double followed. Johnson brought in another run on a ground out before a wild pitch and singles by Carly Reed and Lindsay Blanton built the lead to 9-1.
"I think we had contributors all up and down the lineup," Montgomery said. "It was great to see everybody do that. I thought we were patient and made some good pitch selections and drove the ball hard."
But it wasn't just the bats that did that damage. Blanton and Murphy each beat out infield singles despite solid plays by North's defense, grabbed an extra base or two when it could and had a runner score from second on an infield single.
Aminah Saahir two-run double makes it 6-1 South. Mound visit. pic.twitter.com/zwzVuh8Cym
— Jim Gordillo (@JimGordillo) April 28, 2026
"One of the things we worked hard on in the off-season was our base running," Montgomery said. "We want to be aggressive base runners, but we want to be smart base runners.
"We worked on running everything out. If you see a ball hit the ground and you immediately, instinctually take off, that just puts more pressure on the other team. Every time Lindsay puts the ball on the ground, I know she's going to be halfway to first base before they field it."
Johnson, the winning pitcher in last year's North game as a freshman, gave up a run and three hits in the top of the first but allowed just one more base runner until the sixth.
"One thing with Rachel, she's a gamer," Montgomery said. "It's the North-South game and she's got a lot of experience. She settled down and took control. She didn't let (that first inning) get to her.
"She knows she has a quality defense behind her and so she does her part."
North rolling with the punches
The Cougars (2-8, 0-3) are still going through some growing pains, but hanging in there as three seniors help guide a young team. Their enthusiasm hasn't waned. The focus is on the process and not the outcomes of games.
"They never showed lack of energy," North coach Kat Edmonds said. "They were up in the dugout all seven innings. That's all I can ask."
Senior Kaydence Silvers was 2-for-3 with two doubles and scored both runs off RBI singles by the other two seniors, Kenton Gallagher and Jocelyn Parrish. North had five hits but also several stingers that ended up in the gloves of South's outfielders.
Lack of scoring punch has been a problem all year with the Cougars held to three runs or fewer in seven of their losses.
"Today, we hit the ball, just right at people," Edmonds said. "And (South) really didn't have a ton of solid hits, and it was a lot of bloopers. It'll go that way and when the defense makes some bumbles, it'll lead to that.
"What I like about this team is seeing the improvement and picking out those types of encouraging pieces in a game. They hit a really good pitcher well."
As for pitching, sophomore Baylee Moore is taking some lumps. But she showed some resilience, coming back from that tough third inning but setting South down on three pitches in the fourth and working out of a bases loaded jam in the fifth.
"She's carrying a lot of the load, so it's tough," Edmonds said. "She's not been in that role before, so I think she's grown a ton. I feel like the last two outings for her, she's pitched full games."
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 11, BLOOMINGTON NORTH 2
Bloomington North (2-8, 0-3) 100 | 001 | 0 — 2 | 5 | 1
Bloomington South (7-3, 2-2) 126 | 002 | x — 11 | 18 | 0
Baylee Moore and Jocelyn Parrish. Rachel Johnson and Lindsay Blanton. W: Johnson. L: Moore. 2B: Kaydence Silvers (N) 2; Aminah Saahir (S) 3.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Top to bottom, Bloomington South softball too much for rival North