Cadets defeat Comets, 3-2, in 9 innings

By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — The Charles City Comets and the Crestwood Cadets came into Wednesday’s Northeast Iowa Conference softball matchup tied for first in the NEIC with 7-1 records.

They had both suffered their lone conference loss on the same day — during a May 25 doubleheader against each other which they split.

So the third game and final regular-season “rubber” game promised to be a close one.

It was … an then some.

The Cadets battled back from an early 2-0 deficit before winning 3-2 in nine innings.

Shannon Pisney scored on a wild pitch in the top of the ninth for what proved to be the winning run for the Cadets (12-4, 8-1).

Shortstop Pisney also recorded the final out of the game when she made a diving catch on Ciana Sonberg’s pop-up in foul territory, fence be damned.

In the bottom of the eighth, Charles City cleanup hitter Sara Martin almost won it with what would have been a walk-off homer when she drove a Laken Lienhard pitch deep to centerfield only to have it caught on the warning track.

The Comets (16-3, 7-2) drew first blood in the second when Martin — running from second base — nimbly avoided Sonberg’s grounder to short while screening Pisney, who misplayed the ball allowing Martin to score.

Sonberg later scored herself on an RBI single by Madeline Peters.

Comet starter Sami Heyer was cruising along before giving up an unearned run in the fifth inning before being touched for an RBI double by Kelsey Burnikel in the sixth inning.

Bailey Mitchell had two hits for Charles City, which will try to rebound Thursday while hosting Waverly-Shell Rock.