Katelynn Thun is an NAU School of Communication journalism student assigned to cover softball for AZPreps365.com.

The offense was booming early for the Coconino softball team as junior utility player Savannah Waters had a grand slam in the bottom of the first inning, helping the Panthers cruise to an 11-0 win over Lee Williams on Friday. 

“I’ve never done it before, so it’s definitely a first, and it’s a pretty good one,” Waters said about her grand slam. 

Panthers head coach Kimberly Dennis said the early grand slam set the tone for the rest of the game. 

“I think it just set us off for high energy,” Dennis said. “Savannah has been doing a great job for us all season on both sides of the ball.”

Waters finished the game 2 for 3 at the plate. 

The explosive offensive would continue for the Panthers in the second inning, with runs being scored by sophomore second baseman Hailey Householder and senior third baseman Katelynn Yazzie. Coconino led 7-0 after two innings.

Sophomore shortstop Emma Kennelly also contributed to the offense for the Panthers, going 2 for 3 with two runs. 

Senior pitcher Norah Kennelly threw a shoutout, pitching all five innings while facing 20 batters. 

In total, the Panthers had a team batting average of .440 in a total of 30 plate appearances.

The Panthers are now 5-1 in conference play and undefeated in the Grand Canyon Region, improving their overall record to 11-2 on the season. 

Dennis noted the importance of stacking wins within the region.

“I think it’s very important," Dennis said. "I think whoever wins the region is going to have hardly any losses, if any.”

The Panthers now look ahead to their next game against the Prescott Badgers (4-2) on Tuesday, March 24. The Badgers are currently undefeated in both the 4A conference and the Grand Canyon Region.  

Dennis hopes the momentum from the Panthers’ commanding victory over the Volunteers will follow them to Prescott. 

“A lot of our focus is on us right now, and getting these players to believe in themselves, and we really saw that today in many aspects,” Dennis said. 

Coconino swept the season series against Prescott last year, winning the first game of the series 11-1 and the second game 12-0.