Lady Panthers set home run record, win district

The Lady Panthers hit 56 home runs in turning pitches into souvenirs on the way to a district championship this season with an overall record of 29-7 to go with a league mark of 13-1.

Senior Kylie Kirk was the Lady Panthers’ lead bomber with 17 homers and 65 runs batted in, while sophomore Addison Shifflett added 10, junior Rylee Slimp eight and senior Emma Petru six long balls, respectively.

Liberty Hill defeated a pair of San Antonio schools – Veterans Memorial and

Edison – in the opening two rounds of the playoffs, sweeping a pair of best-of-three series by a combined score of 65-10.

Unfortunately, the season ended with a 3-2 loss to Canyon in a game in which Liberty Hill led, 2-0, entering the bottom of the seventh only to lose on a walk-off by the Cougars – a defeat that included a controversial call that made the loss even more unbearable, said Coach Kristin Brewer. Despite the loss, the season was a success considering the team had missed out on the postseason for the past three years.