Seymour pitcher Kendrick Sterling throws a pitch during the first inning against Bloomington South on Thursday. Seymour won the game 12-3. Dylan Wallace | The Tribune||Seymour’s Alyssa Perry lays down a bunt in the fourth inning against Bloomington South on Thursday. Perry got on base and helped lead a big inning for the Owls, who scored eight runs. By Dylan Wallace | The Tribune/[email protected]||Grace Meyer fouls a ball off during the first inning against Bloomington South on Thursday. Meyer and the Owls won the game 12-3. By Dylan Wallace | The Tribune

The Owls were getting no-hit through the first three innings against Bloomington South on Thursday, and then the team settled in and started to roll.

Seymour gave up two runs in the top of the fourth, and it appeared all momentum was on the Panthers’ side. Then Kynadee Warner stepped up to the plate for her second at-bat of the game in the bottom of the fourth.

Warner singled, beating out the throw to first base. Alyssa Perry followed her in similar fashion, laying down a bunt and beating out the throw to the bag. Grace Meyer also tried to lay down a bunt to advance the runners, but South threw out Warner at third and Meyer was safe at first.

So the Owls had two on and one out, and that’s when Kendrick Sterling singled to load the bases. Camryn Sterling got walked, and the Owls got on the board and kept the bases loaded with one out.

Up came Sydney Stewart, who struck out in the second inning from a changeup. Stewart made sure that didn’t happen again as she blasted a ball to right-center field for a bases-clearing, 3 RBI double. Stewart stood alone on second as the Owls stormed out to a 4-2 lead.

Seymour wasn’t done there either. Stephanni Kleber singled to get runners on the corners, and then Kendall Allman launched a three-run homer over the wall in left-center field.

“Both of those were big hits,” head coach Jerry Burton said on Stewart’s double and Allman’s home run. “Very big hits.”

Seymour added one more run that inning off a South error, putting up eight total runs in the bottom of the fourth.

The Owls had 12 batters come to the plate during that inning.

“I think they just got used to it, and we finally got something going,” Burton said. “Hitting is contagious. We finally got something going and everybody came in and helped us out on that end.”

South tacked on one run in the top of the sixth, but Seymour once again responded, adding four more runs in the bottom of the sixth, sealing the Owls’ 12-3 victory.

Both teams each had nine hits in the game, but Seymour capitalized more with runners in scoring position.

Kendrick Sterling was on the mound for the Owls, and she made it through 5.2 innings, allowing nine hits, just two walks and striking out three Panthers.

“If you don’t walk people and you make them get three hits to score, you can give up a lot of hits and still be successful,” Burton said.

Sterling also had some decent help behind her on defense. Stewart made some nice plays behind the plate, picking off a runner at third early on in the game.

“Syd has done a really good job behind the plate, and her hitting has been pretty consistent,” Burton said. “She’s done a nice job for us.”

Kleber came in to relieve Sterling for the final 1.1 innings, and retired all four batters she faced, striking out three of them.

This win comes after a tough 11-5 loss to Jennings County on Wednesday.

“It was good to see that,” Burton said on his team’s response on Thursday.

The win is good momentum for the Owls, who have a huge game coming up on Tuesday at home against Bedford North Lawrence. The winner of that game will take home the Hoosier Hills Conference title.

Seymour could potentially have a makeup game on Saturday, but as of Thursday night, Burton hadn’t heard anything regarding a game this weekend.

As of now, all the focus will be on Tuesday’s big game.

“I just want to hit some live pitching, work on a few things, tweak a few things on defense and just be ready to go on that Tuesday night,” Burton said.