Big Seven League foes, Holton and Royal Valley meet up on the softball diamond on Thursday and avoided any tangle with Mother Nature to play a double-header, in which Holton came away with the sweep with 9-1 and 12-5 wins.

In game one, Royal Valley took the early 1-0 lead after the first inning and that held until the Holton put up three-runs in the top of the fifth to take the lead. The offensive door busted open for the Wildcats in the sixth as they added six runs and went on to earn the 9-1 win, out hitting Royal Valley 13-5 in the process. Royal Valley made a late threat in the seventh with runs at the corners and only one-out, but the runner was caught stealing at second and then Holton picked off the runner from third at home on the same play to end the game.

Game two it was much the same as the first as a big inning propelled Holton to the 12-5 win over Royal Valley. Wildcats struck first in the second contest as Cassidy Merriman reached on an error and came around to score on an error in the first inning. Royal Valley answered back in the bottom of the second scoring a pair of runs to take the 2-1 lead on a two-RBI double by Masey Lafferty. Panthers held the lead only for a short time as Holton in the top of third took the lead back behind a two-run homer by Taryn Weilert, giving the Wildcats the 3-2 advantage.

The fourth inning is when the game opened up for Holton as Royal Valley was one-out away from a one-two-three top of the fourth, Holton's bats came alive scoring seven runs all with two outs, amassing eight hits in the inning with every player reaching the base pads in the frame. Merriman and Taryn Weilert each had RBI doubles in the inning to lead the Wildcats. Emmy McManigal continued to be dialed in on the mound as she put together one-two-three innings from the circle in the third and fourth against Royal Valley.

Holton added a run in the sixth and seventh to lead 12-3 going into the bottom of seventh as the Panthers done to their final three outs tired a late push to mount a comeback but the deficit proved to be too much. Royal Vallely did get a two-run homer by Leslie Schuetz in the seventh.

Wildcats out-hit the Panthers 17-6 in the competition and were led by seven multi-hit games in the second game. Ashlyn Weilert posted a 3-5 game with two runs scored, a double and two RBI's, while Taryn Weilert had a two-run homer and double going 2-5 with three RBI's and two runs scored. Amber Searles also blasted a homerun in the contest going 2-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, helping Holton improve to 15-5 on the season.

Royal Valley with the losses fell to 13-5 on the year and were led by Leslie Schuetz in game two who went 3-4 with two doubles, a two-run homer, three RBI's and a run scored. Jaycee Worrell, Masey Lafferty and Maggie Schuetz each had a hit for the Panthers, also.

The regular season is in the books for Holton, while Royal Valley has a double-header at Valley Falls on Monday to wrap up the regular season. Both teams will be in the same Class 4A-DII Regional along with Jeff West and Perry Lecompton.