The Plano East Lady Panther softball team’s season is in full swing, with the team having competed in much of their District 6-6A schedule.

In Lady Panthers’ head coach Lauren Peterson’s first season at the helm, Plano East cruised through non-district competition. Everything was firing on all cylinders, with the team winning nine of their first 11 games under the new coaching staff. The offensive trio of Jadyn Dawson, Victoria Jackson-Sears and Marli Kennedy were key factors in Plano East’s hot start to the 2023 season.

However, once district play rolled around, and the schedule got a bit tougher, the team’s pace slowed down a bit. The toughness of District 6-6A wasn’t news to Peterson or the team.

“I think the pitching in our district has to be some of the best in the state,” Peterson said before district play started.

The Lady Panther’s lost their first three district games, but none of them were by wide margins. They fell to rival Plano 10-9 in their district opener on March 7. Plano East rallied back in the top of the seventh to tie the game at nine but lost after Plano walked it off the bottom of the inning. They then lost to Hebron 5-0 and Flower Mound 4-3.

By Seth Dowdle

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