IOWA CITY - Jefferson softball coach Larry Niemeyer could afford to joke a little bit after the No. 4 J-Hawks swept Iowa City High Tuesday night.

“We had it all the way,” Niemeyer joked after the J-Hawks won the nightcap of the MVC doubleheader, 2-1. Jefferson (25-5, 18-1) took the opener, 13-3.

The truth is the J-Hawks did not have it all the way. In fact, they did not have a lead until the seventh inning when junior Hannah Petersen doubled home what turned out to be the winning run.

“I knew my team needed me and I needed to be a clutch hitter,” Petersen said. “I was just begging for a good pitch to hit and I got it.”

The J-Hawk offense struggled to figure out sophomore pitcher Erin Weno. Jefferson managed to get just three hits off Weno, but used some walks and aggressive base running to pull out the victory.

Jefferson was shut out through five innings and managed only one hit, senior Katie Naber's two-out single in the second inning.

Naber, who pitched the nightcap for the J-Hawks, worked her way out of many difficult situations, leaving seven Little Hawk runners in scoring position, including at least one in each of three innings.

“I’m back,” said Naber, who has not pitched in a close game since coming back from suspension in mid-June.

Naber looked like her old self, but gave up a run in the fourth inning that put the J-Hawks in a 1-0 hole. Sam Blowers' two-out RBI single scored Whitney Duthie, who had  doubled.

Jefferson tied the game in the sixth. Pinch hitter Maddie Hanson, an eighth grader, singled with one out. After a pair of passed balls, senior pinch runner Ashley Madsen scored on a sacrifice fly from sophomore Kaitlyn Davidson.

The stage was set for drama and neither team disappointed.

Sophomore pinch hitter Maddie Koolbeck drew a walk to lead off the Jefferson seventh and was bunted over to second. After Weno got a strikeout for the second out, Petersen went opposite field, depositing a 2-ball, 2-strike pitch into the left-center gap to score what turned out to be the winning run.

The Little Hawks (12-17, 10-10) put up a fight in the bottom half of the inning. With one out sophomore Brie Hightshoe reached on an error by J-Hawk shortstop Carson Burgart. After Hightshoe got bunted over Niemeyer opted to walk Weno, the Little Hawks' best hitter, to put runners on first and second. Naber walked another unintentionally to load the bases, putting the potential winning run in scoring position at second base.

Naber got sophomore Shelby Yoder to ground to Burgart at shortstop. Runner's interference was called for the third out and Jefferson escaped with a 2-1 win.

“I’m used to that, I’m use to the pressure I pitch better (with pressure),” Naber said. “My junk allows us to get lead runners out with ground balls.”

The J-Hawks pounded out 17 hits in the opener.Junior Kenna Fry was 5-for-5 with five RBIs and junior Rachel Sedlacek was 3-for-5.

“I knew that we needed to score early and often,” Fry said. “I am very confident at the plate with runners in scoring position. It makes me want to get a hit even more.”

Jefferson scored single runs in the first and second innings, then added three more in the fourth for a 5-0 lead. The J-Hawks tacked on four more runs in the sixth inning, highlighted by Burgart's two RBI double. Fry's two-run single sparked the J-Hawks' four-run seventh.

Petersen, Jefferson's ace lefty, gave up just two hits and struck out seven in five innings of shutout work.

Jefferson hosts No.15 Dubuque Hempstead (26-3, 17-3) in a key MVC doubleheader Thursday night. The J-Hawks hold a 1.5-game lead over the Mustangs in the Valley Division.

GAME 1
JEFFERSON (13)
Rachel Sedlacek, LF, 5 2 3 1, Kailey Drake, CF, 4 3 2 1, Hannah Petersen, P, 4 0 1 1, Hannah Towns, cr, 0 2 0 0, Alissa Good, P, 0 0 0 0, Kenna Fry, 1B, 5 2 5 5, Maddie Hanson, DP, 5 0 1 0, Maddie Koolbeck, RF, 2 1 1 0, Ashley Madsen, CF, 1 1 1 1, Carson Burgart, SS, 3 0 1 2, Maddy Blietz, 3B, 4 1 1 0, Kaitlyn Davidson, 2B, 3 1 1 1, Nicole Marquart, C, 0 0 0 0. Totals 37 13 17 12.

CITY HIGH (3)
Brie Hightshoe, SS, 4 1 0 0, Kira Dailey, CF, 4 1 2 2, Erin Weno, DP, 4 1 2 0, Nikki Burian, C, 1 0 0 0, Sam Blowers, 3B, 2 0 0 0, Peyton Koenig, C, 2 0 0 0, Sara Blowers, cr, 0 0 0 0, Shelby Yoder, LF, 3 0 0 0, Ashley Duthie, 2B, 3 0 0 0, Whitney Duthie, 1B, 3 0 1 0, Ruth Grace, pr, 0 0 0 0, Kaylee Harney, RF, 3 0 0 0, Jena Heise, P, 0 0 0 0. Totals 29 3 5 2.

Jefferson  110 304 4 -  13  17  5
City High  000 003 0 -    3   5   3

Petersen, Good (6) and Marquart. Heise and Burian, Koenig (2). W – Petersen L – Heise 2B – Sedlacek, Petersen, Koolbeck. HR – Dailey. SB – Sedlacek, Sara Blowers.

GAME 2
JEFFERSON (2)
Rachel Sedlacek, LF, 3 0 0 0, Kailey Drake, CF, 3 0 0 0, Hannah Petersen, RF, 2 0 1 1, Kenna Fry, 1B, 4 0 0 0, Hannah McInerney, DP, 1 0 0 0, Maddie Hanson, ph, 1 0 1 0, Ashley Madsen, pr, 0 1 0 0, Carson Burgart, SS, 1 0 0 0, Kaitlyn Davidson, 2B, 2 0 0 1, Katie Naber, P, 3 0 1 0, Nicole Marquart, C, 1 0 0 0, Hannah Towns, cr, 0 1 0 0, Maddie Koolbeck, ph, 0 1 0 0, Maddy Blietz, 3B, 0 0 0 0. Totals 21 2 3 1.

CITY HIGH (1)
Brie Hightshoe, SS, 3 0 0 0, Kira Dailey, CF, 3 0 2 0, Erin Weno, P, 3 0 0 0, Mikayla Heath, cr, 0 0 0 0, Peyton Koenig, C, 3 0 0 0, Shelby Yoder, LF, 4 0 2 0, Ashley Duthie, 2B, 3 0 0 0, Whitney Duthie, 1B, 3 1 2 0, Ruth Grace, RF, 2 0 0 0, Emily Koepnik, ph, 0 0 0 0, Sam Blowers, 3B, 3 0 1 1. Totals 28 1 9 1.

Jefferson 000 001 1 -  2  3  1
City High 000 100 0 -  1  9  0

Naber and Marquart. Weno and Koenig. W – Naber. L – Weno. 2B – Petersen, Dailey, W. Duthie. SB - Drake.