INDEPENDENCE, Kan. - The Independence softball team got off to a rocky start in conference play as they suffered a pair of losses 18-1 and 14-3, at the hands of 20th-ranked Neosho County on Thursday. 

In game one, the Pirates were hanging tough in the early innings as they only surrendered single runs in both the first and third inning, resulting in a 2-0 deficit. The fourth inning is when Neosho blew the game open as the first eight Panther batters all reached base and came around to score. Neosho followed that up in the fifth inning with their first five batters all reaching and scoring. The Pirates were able to scratch a run across in the bottom of the fifth as Madison Wammock led off the inning with a single and would eventually score on an error. 

Madyson Paxton and Alexis Yarnell both had multiple hits in game one. 

In game two, Neosho jumped out to an early lead once again as they plated a single run in the first before blowing it open with seven runs in the second inning. Trailing 11-0, the Pirates showed some life in the bottom of the fourth as their first three batters all reached base and came around to score, with two of them scoring on a two-rbi single by Bryndl Biggs, and the third scoring on a single from Juliann Kindle. 

Madyson Paxton, Kylie Dennison, and Riley Hayes all reached base twice in game two, while Dennison and Alexis Yarnell each scored a run. 

The Pirates will be back in action this weekend as they hit the road to take on Highland, a 1:00 pm doubleheader.