Comet bats stay hot while extending winning streak

By John Burbridge
sports@charlescitypress.com
CHARLES CITY — For the second straight game, the Charles City Comets have proven that early leads — including big early leads — are not always safe against them.

In the top of the second inning of Tuesday’s Northeast Iowa Conference softball game, the visiting Waverly-Shell Rock Go-Hawks took advantage of several Charles City throwing errors while jumping out to a 4-0 lead.

But already this season, the Comets have been here before.

The previous Friday while hosting Clear Lake, Charles City was down 5-0 early only to surge back on its way to a 14-7 victory.

Tuesday’s game against the Go-Hawks followed much the same script.

The Comets responded with 4 runs in the latter half of second to tie it before bolting ahead for good to win 10-5.

Senior Alex Litterer had three hits for the Comets, including a pair of two-out singles, while driving home 2 runs.

Sophomore Lydia Staudt, who had three hits herself, helped put the game away during the sixth inning when she slapped the ball through a drawn-in infield and outfield to chase home 2 runs while circling the bases for a triple.

Freshman Ava Ellis had the Comets other extra-base hit — an RBI double — while going 2 for 3; and leadoff hitter Liz Fiser had two hits and 2 RBIs for the Comets.

Dani Reetz went the seven-inning distance for the win as none of the 5 runs scored against her was earned.

CHARLES CITY 14, WAUKON 7: Comet junior Sadie Gebel had three hits including a pair of home runs, sophomore Ashlyn Hoeft connected for a grand slam, and Fiser and Reetz each had three hits as Charles City picked up its first road win of the season when defeating NEIC rival Waukon.

Reetz also got the complete-game win as only 2 of the 7 runs scored off her were earned.

Junior Kiki Connell had two hits including a triple as the Comets pounded out 13 hits — five for extra bases.

CHARLES CITY 9, SAINT ANSGAR 6: The Comets were able to withstand a 6-run six-inning rally by the Saints that was capped with a grand slam home run by Taylor Hanna.

Going into the bottom half of the inning, the Comets were up 8-0 before Hanna’s towering blast to centerfield suddenly made it a 2-run game.

Charles City added a run in the seventh before Reetz, who came in to relieve starter Avery Merta in the sixth, held the Saints at bay allowing the Comets to claim their fourth straight victory while improving to 5-1 for the season.

Hoeft hit her third homer of the season, which paled in comparison to the long strike she hit the pitch before that cleared the left-field fence by 50 feet only to curve foul.

Connell had four hits, Fiser had three hits, and Ava Ellis doubled for the Comets, who will host Oelwein on Friday.