Cougars, Hawks play longball in split
The Prairie and Kennedy softball teams combined for six home runs during a Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader at Kennedy Monday night, but one in particular stood out.
Kennedy’s Amanda Gaffey, who had been in a minor hitting slump, smoked a grand slam in the fourth inning of the nightcap as the Cougars beat Prairie, 10-3.
Prairie slugged its way to a 7-2 victory in the opening game.
The Cougars began the fourth inning of the nightcap with a 3-2 lead. Taylor Wagner, Matison Schwartzhoff and Lauren Kubovec had consecutive hits, with Kubovec driving in Wagner for a 4-2 advantage.
Two batters later, Peyton Baskerville hit another single for a 5-2 lead. Then Gaffey stepped to the plate and sent the ball sailing over the fence in right center for four runs.
“I hadn’t been hitting very well before that, so I knew I just had to relax up there and wait for a good pitch,” said Gaffey. “It felt good.”
With one swing of her bat, she broke out of a slump and propelled the Cougars to victory.
“She is one of those hitters who can come in during a clutch situation and get the job done for us when we have runners on,” said Kennedy Coach Katie Bova.
Gaffey wasn’t the only Cougar who righted the ship after a sluggish first game. Kennedy (6-12, 4-8) totaled 14 hits in the nightcap and each Cougar starter had at least one hit.
“We got on them right away in the second game and were pretty pumped up,” said Gaffey. “We were more aggressive at the plate and didn’t hold back.”
They also had a solid performance from a young pitcher. Freshman Madeline Crist took the ball for the Cougars and went the full seven innings for the victory. While she did allow 12 hits, she gave up only three runs.
“She is feisty, and she doesn’t give up very easily,” said Bova. “She has a couple of different pitches that she can throw in there and whip around.”
Prairie enjoyed some slugging of its own. The Hawks (3-12, 2-8) collected 15 hits in the opener and 12 more in the nightcap. Brittany Lash and Gabby Carter hit two home runs apiece during the doubleheader.
Prairie hit three of those homers in the first game in its 7-2 victory to support a strong pitching performance by Katelyn Kuch. Kuch worked with a speedy fastball and allowed two runs on eight hits.
Lash and Carter both hit line-drive home runs in the fourth inning, and Carter added a solo shot in the seventh to seal the victory.
Taylor Wagner hit a home run for Kennedy in the opener.
GAME 1
PRAIRIE (7)
Lash, cf, 4 2 1 1, T.Stecklein, 2b, 4 1 2 1, O’Brian, c, 4 1 3 0, Carter, 3b, 4 2 2 3, Kuch, p, 4 0 1 0, H.Lueck, rf, 4 1 2 0, Gudenkauf, 1b, 4 0 1 1, A.Stecklein, ss, 4 0 2 0, C. Lueck, lf, 2 0 1 0. Totals 34 7 15 6.
KENNEDY (2)
Kubovec, c, 4 0 2 0, Coker, 1b, 4 1 2 0, McKinnon, lf, 4 0 2 1, Baskerville, dh, 4 0 1 0, Gaffey, 3b, 2 0 0 0, Rathjens, 2b, 3 0 0 0, McQuiston, cf, 3 0 0 0, Wagner, ss, 3 1 1 1, Schwartzhoff, rf, 3 0 0 0. Totals 30 2 8 2.
Prairie 002 030 2 - 7 15 0
Kennedy 000 000 2 - 2 8 1
Kuch and O’Brian. Sohn and Kubovec. W - Kuch. L - Sohn. 2B - T.Stecklein (2), H. Lueck, Coker, McKinnon. HR - Carter (2), Lash, Wagner.
GAME 2
PRAIRIE (3)
Lash, cf, 4 1 2 1, T.Stecklein, 2b, 4 0 2 0, O’Brian, c, 3 0 1 0, Carter, p, 4 0 3 0, Stevenson, 3b, 2 0 0 0, Kuch, p, 1 1 1 0, H.Lueck, rf, 4 1 1 0, Gudenkauf, 1b, 4 0 0 0, A.Stecklein, ss, 4 0 2 1, C.Lueck, lf, 3 0 1 1. Totals 33 3 13 3.
KENNEDY (10)
Kubovec, c, 4 1 2 3, Coker, 1b, 4 1 0 0, McKinnon, lf, 4 0 2 1, Baskerville, dh, 4 1 2 1, Gaffey, 3b, 3 2 1 4, Rathjens, 2b, 3 0 1 0, Flesner, cf, 4 1 1 0, Schwartzhoff, rf, 1 1 1 0, McQuiston, rf, 2 1 1 0, Crist, p, 0 0 0 0. Totals 33 10 14 9.
Prairie 001 110 0 - 3 13 1
Kennedy 030 610 x - 10 14 0
Carter, Stevenson (3), Kuch (4) and O’Brian. Crist and Kubovec. W - Crist. L - Carter. 2B - O’Brian, Carter, Kubovec, McKinnon, McQuiston. HR - Lash, Gaffey.
