Jemison started strong in its Class 4A South Central Regional appearance with a win over Marbury, but the Panthers fell short of a state tournament berth.

After two scoreless innings by both teams on May 8, the Panthers broke through in the bottom of the third with singles by Madison Moore and Jasmine Eperson to secure a 1-0 lead going into the fourth inning.

The fourth inning included a single by Destiny Bailey and a sacrifice bunt by Chrisie Murphy that moved Bailey into scoring position. A wild pitch allowed Bailey to score for a 2-0 lead for Jemison.

After a scoreless inning for both teams in the fifth, Marbury got on the board in the top of the sixth when a throwing error and a sacrifice fly by Hannah Lee allowed Marbury to score.

A single by Kaley Emfinger started the seventh inning for Jemison, followed by a sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch that allowed Emfinger to score, giving the Panthers a 3-1 advantage going into the bottom of the seventh.

Marbury fought back in the seventh with a one-out, solo home run to cut the lead to 3-2.

Marbury’s momentum didn’t last long, as the Panthers’ defense shut down the last two batters to seal the victory for Jemison.

Hannah Corbin got the win on the mound, allowing one earned run and four strike outs in seven innings pitched.

Corbin said her first experience on the mound at the regional tournament level was challenging but rewarding.

“It was definitely a new experience, and the competition is tough,” Corbin said. “I just try to remember to stay calm and let the defense work behind me. They worked hard behind me today and made my job easier.”

Coach Nathan Hayes said he was excited about the regional win.

“We knew that Marbury would have a good pitcher,” Hayes said. “We knew that we would have to bunt well. We did what we had to do to get the win. I’m proud of them.”

The Panthers’ next game was against Clay-Central, and ultimately placed them in the loser’s bracket.

Jemison allowed three unearned runs in the top of the first, putting Jemison behind 3-0 after a half inning of play.

Clay-Central extended its lead to 7-1 in the top of the fourth with four more unearned runs.

Jemison fought back in the bottom of the fifth with a triple by Jennifer Paschal, a single by Hannah Corbin, and a two-run single by Destiny Bailey, cutting the lead to 7-4.

The Clay-Central offense produced another run in the sixth, and the Panthers answered with two runs in the seventh but were unable to break Clay-Central’s 8-6 lead.

Kennise Bolton pitched four innings, allowing no earned runs with seven strikeouts and five walks.

Hannah Corbin pitched three innings in relief, allowing one earned run, one walk and two strikeouts.

Jemison secured a 4-3 win against Brewbaker Tech on May 9 to send the Panthers into a rematch against Marbury.

Jemison got the win against Marbury for the second time, though the Panthers trailed 3-0 until the bottom of the seventh inning.

Hannah Corbin started the Jemison rally with a single, followed by singles from Destiny Bailer, Kelson Cole and Laura Vinzant, which tied the game at 3-all.

Vinzant scored on an error, and Jemison got the walk off victory, 4-3, placing them against Shelby County in their third game of the day.

Jemison was eliminated from the tournament in a 12-2 loss to Shelby County.