Revenge. Or redemption. These are feelings that Mid-Prairie could have felt after beating West Liberty 5-0 on their home diamond. This is because the Comets caused a ruckus in Kalona with doubleheader wins over Mid-Prairie on June 19. 

“[June 19], we just did not play well. We had a good two days to regroup, refocus, and work real hard at the things we did not do well,” head coach Amy Hartsock-Williams said. “On Thursday, they put it into play. They stayed tough mentally, they played a clean ball game and they hit the ball.”

Simply put, the Hawks came and conquered, shutting the door on the then number 15 ranked Comets in 3A competition. The Comets still own the season series at 2-1. 

Slamming the door for Mid-Prairie was sophomore ace Sydney Knebel who pitched a complete game shutout. Knebel boasted eight strikeouts, only allowing three hits, and not walking a single Comet, a near perfect game.

“Sydney did well, she worked ahead in the counts and then she worked on painting corners,” Hartsock-Williams said. “They couldn’t square up the ball as they did earlier in the week. We really talked about working ahead.”

The Golden Hawk bats awoke, from scoring just three runs against West Liberty in the doubleheader losses to scoring five in this affair. Three of the runs were earned off of 12 hits and two walks. The Hawks struck out just once. 

The Hawks started fast, scoring two runs in the top of the first and securing another run in the second. The Hawks added security runs in the fifth and sixth innings, rounding the bases once per inning. 

Linn-Mar/Alburnett Tournament 

The Hawks traveled to Marion, Iowa, to face the Linn-Mar/Alburnett tournament head-on. Their reward? Taking on a top ranked Mount Vernon team in game one, a rematch of opening night. The Hawks held their own against the powerhouse Mustangs through four innings before the Mustangs finally broke through Knebel’s excellent performance, winning 10-1, scoring six in the fifth and sixth innings.

Sophomore Dakota Mitchell knocked in the only run of the game in the fifth inning during a two out rally started by senior Madeline Schrader and continued by senior Molly Yoder, with an infield single and forced walk, respectively. 

After Mitchell’s one-pitch RBI single, sophomore Brenna Jehle followed with a walk, loading the bases with the go-ahead run at the plate, down 4-1. 

The inning would end with Yoder getting caught between third and home. She tried with all her might to squeeze past the defense and score a run after getting caught, but the entire Mustang defense came to the third baseman’s aid, tracking down Yoder after a sequence of back-and-forth chases ensued. 

Mid-Prairie could have adverted crisis in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, eighth grader Olivia Swartzentruber forced an out at second and fired to junior Hannah Sellers at first base for the double play. 

The Mustang runner’s speed was faster than Swartzentruber’s throw combined with Seller’s stretch, just beating the combo to keep the inning alive. Two straight RBI base hits lead to the three runs.

Similarly in the sixth with one out, an error in the infield allowed a second baserunner on. A double, triple, and single came in that order to score one run with each swing, bringing the final score of 10-1 to the scoreboard-less softball diamond. 

The Hawks faced off against Iowa City High after losing to Mount Vernon. After winning the game, Mid-Prairie had a shot at placing in the top 10. Their efforts were cut short when their next matchup was slated against Center Point-Urbana, who beat the Hawks 6-5.

After the second loss, the Hawks would play in the consolation bracket for 11 or 12 in the rankings. The weather had other motives. The tournament would end the same way it has for the last eight years, with the comeuppance of rain on day two, cutting things short.

The Hawks, despite a rocky season, are building on something great. There is a reason they play as much softball as they can.

“[Mount Vernon has] a winning mentality, they have a winning attitude and so, that’s why we come to these tournaments because we have to figure out how to do that,” Hartsock-Williams said after the loss to Mount Vernon.  

There still are some final things Hartsock-Williams would like to see her team do to finish off the season strong.

“We need to play clean defense; we need to put the ball in play and make contact. Limit strikeouts which has been our nemesis,” Hartsock-Williams said. “We got to start putting it together now with clean defense and putting the ball in play.”

Mid-Prairie @ Durant Doubleheader 6/26

Taking a page out of the baseball team’s book, the Golden Hawks swept the Wildcats in their doubleheader appearance.

The game was played at home rather than in Durant because of storm damage, the softball team announced via Twitter. The Wildcats were still listed as the home team and got to bat in the bottom of each inning. 

The Hawks look at their final regular season matchups in lieu of the playoffs. They’ll face Washington on the road, June 28. Durant again in the comfort of home, June 29. The Hawks will then travel to Iowa City West for the two-day Rick Doran Classic tournament, June 30, and July 1.

The Hawks finish their regular season against Williamsburg on the road, July 1, if scheduling allows due to the tournament.

Round one of the playoffs has been determined for the Hawks as well. They’ll take on Center Point-Urbana on the road, July 6, in class 3A – region 6.