LITTLE CYPRESS — In a battle of Class 4A heavyweights Wednesday night it was the defending Class 4A champion Liberty Lady Panthers that escaped with a dramatic 2-1 Class 4A Region III bidistrict Game One victory in 10 innings over the top-ranked Little Cypress-Mauriceville Lady Bears.

The Lady Panthers (18-9) sealed the win when Kara Cannon hit a Brianna Frenzel pitch that hit the top of the leftfield fence and bounced over for a home run in the top of the 10^th inning.

Game Two of the series will be played at Liberty at 4:30 p.m. Friday with Game Three, if necessary, to follow 30 minutes after Game Two.

LC-M senior standout Frenzel worked all 10 innings for the Lady Bears (27-3) while Kaci West tossed all 10 innings for the Lady Panthers.

West had the Lady Bears guessing a lot as she allowed just three hits while striking out 16 and walking three.

Frenzel allowed 10 hits, striking out four and walking two.

The Lady Bears jumped on the board first in the bottom half of the third inning.

JoAnna Henry belted a one-out triple to deep right field and did a great job hustling all the way to third. She scored when All White had a RBI ground out.

Liberty tied things up in the top of the fifth inning, though the Lady Bears made a pair of great defensive plays to keep it just tied up.

Baylee Chandler had a leadoff double to left and went to third on a ground out by Jaylen Richard. Cannon then put down a bunt towards first base and Lady Bear first baseman Morgan Weaver made a perfect throw to catcher Olivia Leavings, who was able to tag out Chandler.

However, Cannon would score when West launched a RBI double to right center field.

Mikaelah Burkhard then hit a single to left and Lady Bear leftfielder Madison Murdock made a tremendous throw to home to Leavings, who tagged West just in the knack of time.

The Lady Bears had two runners on in the bottom of the fourth with one out after Bailey Frenzel walked and Murdock had a infield single but West struck the next two batters out.

LC-M’s Renna Toomey had a two-out double down the third base line in the top of the sixth but West ended the threat with another strikeout.

Liberty put two runners on in the bottom of the second inning after Maci Bean had a single to shallow center and Jo McGinnis had an infield single but Frenzel got out of it by getting a ground out from Chandler.

West and Kylie Bishop led Liberty with two hits apiece.

The winner of the LC-M-Liberty series will face either Bay City or Houston Furr in the area round next week.