LEWISBURG —Tri-County North’s softball team split a pair of conference games last week.

The Panthers opened the week with a 6-3 setback to Cross County Conference power Covington before closing out the week with a 5-0 win over Miami East.

North beat Miami East on Friday behind both the bat and the arm of Riley Cruse.

Cruse went 2-for-4, drove in one and scored one run. She tripled in the first inning and singled in the second inning.

She kept Miami East off the scoreboard for all seven innings she was in the circle.

The Panthers took the lead for good in the first, scoring one run on a sacrifice fly by Morgan Helman.

North matched their two-run second inning with two more in the fourth. In the second, the Panthers scored on an RBI double by Brooke Timmons, bringing home Taylor Green.

Against Covington, Morgan Helman went 1-for-3 with a home run, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Covington in a 6-3 defeat.

Helman reached base two times in the game and her home run in the fifth inning.

Cassi Stinson was the game’s losing pitcher. She allowed six runs in six innings, walked six and struck out one.

The top of the first saw North take an early lead, 2-0. The Panthers rally started when Megan Hemp singled. An error then moved Hemp from first to second. Stupp also scored on a wild pitch.

Covington went up for good in the third, scoring three runs on a two-run double and an RBI single.