No. 2-ranked Comets take 2 from Cadets

By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — The Class 4A No. 2-ranked Charles City Comets softball team has already shown it could club an opponent out of the ballpark with shortened victories lasting less than five innings … or even three innings.

But how would the Comets fare while embroiled in a pitching duel, or respond after losing a lead late in the game?

Charles City answered both questions when it hosted Class 2A Top 10-ranked Crestwood on Thursday in a Northeast Iowa Conference doubleheader.

The Comets won both games — 1-0 and 5-4 — to improve to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the NEIC. Returning all-state ace Sami Heyer picked up both of the wins, striking out 14 and walking just 1 while pitching a 1-hitter in the first game, and then fanning 11 and yielding just three hits and two earned runs in the second game.

After the Cadets rallied for 2 runs in both the sixth and seventh innings to tie the second game after Charles City took a 4-0 lead, senior Madeline Peters hit a walk-off homer off Crestwood ace Laken Lienhard, who like counterpart Heyer, started both games.

Peters, who previously doubled in the game, drove Lienhard’s second pitch of the bottom of the seventh to left field. At first, it looked as if the ball had too much height to clear the fence, yet it did as Peters’s winning dinger was the first homer of her varsity career.

In the first game, Lienhard was matching zeros with Heyer through three innings before Comet leadoff hitter Lisabeth Fiser put down a drag bunt to start the bottom of the fourth. Fiser would have likely beaten the throw, anyway, but when Lienhard fielded the bunt and threw wild to first base, it resulted in a three-base error.

Senior Ciana Sonberg followed with a single through the left side of the infield — the only hit of the game — driving home Fiser for the game’s only run.

Lienhard struck out seven, walked none and had Crestwood’s only hit in the first game.

Kaylie Thomas almost had another hit for the Cadets when she drove a Heyer pitch to right field to start the sixth inning. But Fiser played the ball on the bounce and threw out Thomas with a bang-bang call at first base.

After the third and fourth time through the lineup, the Comets were starting to get better swings at Lienhard during the second game.

Sonberg was 2 for 3 with a pair of doubles, and Tayler Schmidt was 2 for 3 with a double and 2 RBIs.

Schmidt also made some plays at second base on hard-hit balls by Kayla Lentz and Taylor Pecinovsky to rob them of base hits.

Comet catcher Kelby Katcher had an RBI single, and Allie Cross had a sacrifice fly to account for the other runs scored by Charles City in the second game.

The Comets are due to be challenged again by a state-ranked opponent when they host Independence Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Sportsmen’s Park. The Mustangs are ranked No. 3 in Class 4A.

Game One

CHARLES CITY 1, CRESTWOOD 0

CW AB  R  H BI  CC AB  R  H BI

Laken Lienhard   3  0  1  0  Lisabeth Fiser        3  1  0  0

Madison Steffen 3  0  0  0  Ciana Sonberg       2  0  1  1

Shannon Pisney   3  0  0  0   Kiki Connell         1  0  0  0

Trista Foster         2  0  0  0  Tayler Schmidt     2  0  0  0

Pecinosky Taylor      3  0  0  0  Sami Heyer      2  0  0  0

Lentz Kayla        2  0  0  0  Cora Crooks           2  0  0  0

Kennedy Gaul  1  0  0  0  Payton Reams          2  0  0  0

Ashley Voves     1  0  0  0  Ashlyn Hoeft          2  0  0  0

Kaylie Thomas 2  0  0  0  Madeline Peters       2  0  0  0

Shelby Pisney    1  0  0  0  Kelby Katcher         2  0  0  0

Annie Mast           1  0  0  0                                    

TOTALS           22  0  1  0  TOTALS               20  1  1  1

CRESTWOOD              000 000 0 — 0

CHARLES CITY 000 100 x — 1

LOB–CRESTWOOD 2, CHARLES CITY 1. ERR–LakenLienhard (2).

CRESTWOOD               IP    H    R   ER   BB   SO   HR

Laken Lienhard                 6.00    1    1    0    0    7    0

CHARLES CITY     

Sami Heyer                     7.00    1    0    0    1   14    0

SO–Shelby Pisney, Kennedy Gaul, Laken Lienhard, Kaylie Thomas, Lentz Kayla, Madison Steffen (2), Shannon Pisney (2), Ashley Voves, Trista Foster, Annie Mast, Pecinosky Taylor (2), Sami Heyer (2), Madeline Peters (2), Payton Reams, Tayler Schmidt, Kelby Katcher. BB–Trista Foster.

Game Two

CHARLES CITY 5, CRESTWOOD 4

CW AB  R  H BI  CC AB  R  H BI

Laken Lienhard   4  1  2  2  Lisabeth Fiser        3  0  1  0

Madison Steffen 4  0  1  0  Ciana Sonberg       3  2  2  0

Shannon Pisney 3  0  1  0  Tayler Schmidt       3  1  2  2

Annie Mast         2  0  0  0  Sami Heyer            3  0  2  0

S Pisney             1  0  0  0  Allie Cross           1  0  0  1

Kaylie Thomas 3  0  0  0  Payton Reams          3  0  1  0

Pecinosky Taylor 3  0  0  0  Ashlyn Hoeft          3  0  1  0

Kennedy Gaul  1  0  0  0  Madeline Peters       3  2  2  1

Lauren Reicks    1  0  0  0  Kelby Katcher         2  0  1  1                                  

Lentz Kayla           2  1  0  0                                    

Trista Foster         1  0  0  0                                    

Beth Koshatka        0  1  0  0                                   

TOTALS         26  4  4  2  TOTALS               24  5 12  5

CRESTWOOD            000 002 2 — 4

CHARLES CITY 102 100 1 — 5

LOB–CRESTWOOD 4, CHARLES CITY 3.

ERR–Shannon Pisney, Sami Heyer (2). 2B–Madeline Peters, Tayler Schmidt (2), Ciana Sonberg (2). HR–Madeline Peters. HBP–Beth Koshatka, Lentz Kayla. SACF–Allie Cross. SB–Kiki Connell (2).

CRESTWOOD              IP    H    R   ER   BB   SO   HR

Laken Lienhard                 6.00   12    5    5    1    2    1

CHARLES CITY       

Sami Heyer                     7.00    4    4    2    1   12    0

SO–S Pisney, , Kennedy Gaul, Kaylie Thomas (3), Lentz Kayla, Madison Steffen, Annie Mast (2), Pecinosky Taylor (2), Ashlyn Hoeft, Ciana Sonberg. BB– , Allie Cross.