May 31—CHARITON — Quinn Snyder pitched a five-hit, complete-game shutout on Thursday lifting the Comets to their first win of the season. The Comets nearly completed a seventh-inning rally in game two that could have led to a South Central Conference doubleheader sweep before Mason Smith retired Weston O'Leary, throwing out the Comet infielder for the final out of the seventh with the tying run at third base.
Drake Durflinger went 2-3 in game two for Cardinal with an RBI double in the top of the seventh before scoring on a sacrifice fly to center by Treyton Hafele, cutting Chariton's lead to 6-5. Cayden Courtney added two hits for the Comets in the nightcap, scoring Cardinal's first run of the game after reaching on a double in the top of the fifth.
Courtney added two hits in game one, including a game-opening single to right before scoring the first of Cardinal's two runs in the opening inning of the doubleheader. Durflinger went 3-4 with a pair of doubles, driving in Brody Phillips in the first inning to put Cardinal up 2-0 before scoring after leading off the top of the fourth with a double to deep center.
After wrapping up the week with a conference trip to Albia, Cardinal (1-6, 1-5 SCC) steps out of conference next Tuesday at North Mahaska.
EBF 1-7, Knoxville 7-6
EDDYVILLE — Hayden McCrea's RBI single to left and a fielding error by the Panthers opened the door for Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont to jump out to a 3-0 lead after just one inning in the second game of a South Central Conference doubleheader at Ron Welsch Field.
Lincoln Norris pitched six strong innings for Knoxville in an opening-game win for the Panthers. EBF pulled away in the bottom of the sixth, playing three more runs to snap a 3-3 tie before getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the seventh.
EBF (3-5, 3-3 SCC) hosts Pekin, North Mahaska and Pella Christian in a four-team home tournament on Saturday starting at 10 a.m.
Fairfield 5, Fort Madison 4
FAIRFIELD — Tallon Bates completed a game-winning rally for the Trojans, delivering a single up the middle with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh scoring Dain Burkhart in the Southeast Conference rubber match between the teams after splitting Monday's doubleheader in Fort Madison.
Cason Miller led Fairfield with three hits, including a double, while scoring three runs for the Trojans. Aidan Krueter added two hits and scored twice.
Fairfield (7-2, 2-1 Southeast) hosts Burlington in a conference doubleheader on Monday.
Sigourney 15, English Valleys 0
SIGOURNEY — Caden Clarahan doubled in a run and scored four more for the Savages in a dominant four-inning South Iowa Cedar League victory over the Bears.
Chase Clarahan added two hits, including a double, and drove in three runs as Sigourney again took advantage of opposing pitchers struggling to find the strike zone leading to 15 walks drawn by Sigourney. Jake Moore, meanwhile, had total command of the strike zone for the Savages pitching a four-inning, complete-game, one-hit shutout with eight strikeouts.
Sigourney (6-0, 3-0 SICL) heads to Lynnville-Sully on Monday for the first of two straight road tests to open next week. The Savages will step out of league play on Tuesday for a trip to Alburnett.
PREP SOFTBALL
Centerville 11, Clarke 7
OSCEOLA — Kiera Klum set the tone for a big night at the plate for the Redettes, following opening hits by Kenly Shilling and Matty Kovacevich with a two-run home run that ignited Centerville in a South Central Conference road win.
Adriana Howard followed Klum's blast with one of her own later in the first inning, sending a pitch over the fence in center to put the Redettes up 4-0 after just one inning. Howard continued to help her own cause in the pitching circle with a two-run single in the third before Ava Pfannebecker connected on Centerville's third home run of the game, bringing home Howard giving the Redettes a nine-run lead.
The win moved Centerville into a tie for first place in the SCC with Cardinal and Knoxville, whom the Redettes hosted on Friday night. Centerville (4-3, 2-0 SCC) welcomes in Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont to the Lakeview Sports Complex on Wednesday before hosting Cardinal next Friday.
No. 2 (1A) Sigourney 6, English Valleys 1
SIGOURNEY — Carly Goodwin allowed just two hits over seven innings to the Bears while striking out 18 batters in a South Iowa Cedar League win for the second-ranked Savages.
Goodwin added two hits at the plate, driving in two runs while scoring once. Erin Dawson went 2-3, scoring twice in the triumph.
Sigourney (4-1, 3-1 SICL) heads to the Oskaloosa Classic on Saturday. The Savages will take on top-ranked (4A) North Polk in one of the first games of the tournament at the Lacey Sports Complex before battling Newton later in the afternoon.
Van Buren County 9, Mediapolis 8
KEOSAUQUA — Ava Loeffler made a dash for home with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, scoring the winning run for the Warriors to complete a thrilling Southeast Iowa Superconference south division win at the Ferguson Complex.
Kylee Roen doubled twice and scored once for Van Buren County, helping the Warriors build a 4-0 lead. Ashlynn Huff added a hit and two walks, scoring three runs to help VBC erase an 8-5 Mediapolis lead heading into the bottom of the fifth.
Van Buren County (2-1, 1-0 SEI south) hosts Centerville and Montezuma this weekend in a home triangular tournament starting at 9 a.m.
Fort Madison 10, Fairfield 8
FAIRFIELD — Despite a valiant effort by the Trojans to take the third and final game of the week between the Southeast Conference rivals, Fort Madison used a four-hit attack by Alivia Holmes to push across decisive runs in both the sixth and seven innings on Thursday.
Elizabeth Tanner added three hits, including a double, while matching Holmes by scoring two runs for the Bloodhounds. Holmes drove in three runs in the contest.
Laney Norris and Faith Jones each had a hit and drove in a pair of runs for Fairfield. After being outscored, 30-3, in a pair of losses at the Baxter Sports Complex on Monday, Fairfield erased Fort Madison's 8-3 lead with two outs in the fifth inning as seven straight batters reached base with run-scoring hits by Leah Helmick, Norrs and Olivia Hollander setting up Vanessa Kessel to bring in the tying run on a line drive that got past Fort Madison second baseman Jayce Fullenkamp to tie the game.
After wrapping up the week facing Cedar Rapids Prairie and Iowa City West on Friday at the University of Iowa Hawkeye Softball Complex, Fairfield (1-5, 0-3 Southeast) opens the new week hosting Burlington on Monday in a conference doubleheader.
Murray 6, Moravia 4
MORAVIA — Despite four-hit efforts at the plate from Alexa Bedford and Finley Spencer, the Mohawks fell just short of the Mustangs in a Bluegrass Conference battle as the Mustangs snapped a 4-4 tie with a pair of game-deciding runs in the top of the seventh.
Bedford came around to score twice in the contest while Spencer scored once and drove in a run for Moravia. Jaime Self and Layla Ewing each added two hits and an RBI as part of a 16-hit attack for the Mohawks.
After welcoming in Moulton-Udell for a Bluegrass battle on Friday, Moravia (2-6, 1-1 Bluegrass) will head to Bloomfield on Saturday to join third-ranked (1A) Wayne and Davis County in the Mustangs' home triangular tournament.
Hillcrest Academy 19, Pekin 6
PEKIN — Three hits, including a home run, by Myah Bainbridge was not enough for the Panthers to overcome a 12-run second-inning rally by the Ravens in Southeast Iowa Superconference north division action.
After wrapping up the week with a trip to Lone Tree on Friday, Pekin (0-5, 0-4 SEI north) will hit the road on Monday to face Danville in an SEISC cross-over contest before stepping completely out of conference to host Central City on Tuesday.
