The Burton Lady Panther softball team showed its comeback spirit not once, but twice on Tuesday night to grab its first win of 2026.
Burton defeated Madisonville 11-10 at Burton High School after a dramatic final two innings to bounce back from a season-opening loss last week.
The Lady Panthers had a 9-7 lead after a wild sixth frame during which they scored six runs after allowing four runs in the top half of the inning. However, Madisonville scored two runs in the top of the seventh to force Burton to score again.
Sophomore pitcher Laci Broesche began the seventh-inning comeback with a bunt single. After Broesche stole second base, senior center fielder Amaya Williams tied the game at 10-10 with an RBI double into center field.
The next two Lady Panthers to step to the plate, Paige Fritsch and Melanie Wood, struck out. However, first baseman Haeleah Herrin played the hero role with a walk-off single with two strikes.
Burton’s seventh-inning heroics followed a sixth inning where it trailed 8-3 following a two-RBI home run and single from the Mustangs. Fritsch hit her third home run of the season in the bottom of the sixth on a three-run blast beyond left field. After Wood put a single into center field and two walks, Skylar Unger hit a two-RBI double. Abby Dowling gave the Lady Panthers the lead off of Unger’s hit by scoring on an error.
Fritsch tallied five RBIs giving her eight RBIs through two games this season. In addition to her home run, she also hit a two-RBI sacrifice fly in the fourth inning.
Williams and Unger each drove in two runs. Williams also tallied two hits along with catcher Natalie Hodde.
Broesche pitched all seven innings and struck out three batters.
Burton’s next games will come in its first early-season tournament of the year. The Lady Panthers will begin play in the Navasota Rattler Round-Robin Softball Tournament at 10:45 a.m. on Thursday against host school Navasota at Navasota High School.