Gaffey stars on senior night for Cougars
Amanda Gaffey did not play softball at Cedar Rapids Kennedy for the glory or the headlines, because there hasn't been much of that during her five years as the starting third baseman.
She did it for love.
"I just have a passion for the sport and I love my teammates and I wouldn't want to let them down, so I just kept playing," she said Thursday night.
Gaffey has endured five straight losing campaigns with the Cougars, but she was all smiles Thursday after Kennedy swept a Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader from Cedar Falls on Senior Night at Kennedy, 5-3 and 14-11.
Gaffey went 0-for-2 with a walk in the first game, giving no indication of what was about to happen in the nightcap.
She went 3-for-4 in the second game with a two-run homer in the third inning, a two-run double in the fourth inning and a three-run homer in the fifth. That gave her a double, two homers and seven RBIs in three consecutive at-bats in three consecutive innings.
"I just had my head on the ball," she said. "The first game I was really nervous, but the second game I just settled down and was patient waiting for a good pitch."
Gaffey, Allie McQuiston and Capria Davis were honored on Senior Night between games of the doubleheader. That partly explains why Gaffey was nervous, but not entirely.
"I'm always nervous when I come up to bat," she said.
The sweep lifted the Cougars to 12-23 overall and 7-17 in the conference.
Gaffey has never experienced a winning season during her five years with the varsity, but she's glad she stuck with it.
"It was frustrating at times, but now when we work together like we did tonight we can pull it off," she said. "We're just one big family and I know we can do it, even though we've been struggling."
McQuiston contributed an RBI double in the second game for Kennedy and played well in right field. She made several good catches and also gunned down a runner at first base on what appeared to be a single to right.
"It feels good. It's our first sweep," McQuiston said.
Gaffey and McQuiston are both headed to Mount Mercy University later this summer and will be roommates. Gaffey will join the softball program, while McQuiston plans to be a two-sport athlete in volleyball and bowling.
Gaffey plans to study criminal justice and McQuiston wants to be a nurse. "I want to be a police offer," Gaffey said. "I just made up my mind in the last year."
Kennedy Coach Katie Bova appreciates what Gaffey and McQuiston have meant to the program. Bova became the head coach in 2008, the same year both players joined the team as eighth graders (Davis joined the program this year).
"I think it takes a certain type of person to give up their summer and play in the heat like they do," Bova remarked. "Their dedication means a lot. I think it showed a lot of character.
"They could easily walk away. But I think when you really love the game and love what you do, I think you stick it out."
Tylor Sohn pitched a complete game for the Cougars in the opener. Kennedy snapped a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the sixth with a pair of runs. Gaffey walked and eventually scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-3. Tanner Rathjens singled and scored on an RBI single by Erin Coker.
Cedar Falls (10-22, 6-18) jumped to a 7-1 lead in the top of the third inning in the nightcap, but that was before Gaffey took charge with her two-run homer, two-run double and three-run double to send the Cougars ahead.
Peyton Baskerville went 3-for-5 in the second game for Kennedy with two runs and two RBIs. Coker was 3-for-4 and Maddie Flesner scored three runs.
Freshman Madeline Crist pitched a complete game for the Cougars in the nightcap. She was touched for 11 runs, 19 hits and three home runs, but she hung in there and got the victory when her teammates scored 14 runs on 14 hits.
GAME ONE
CEDAR FALLS (3)
Youngblut, c, 4 1 2 1, Boyer, cr, 0 1 0 0, Miller, cf, 4 0 1 0, Smith, ss, 3 0 1 1, Hutchens, 3b, 3 0 0 0, Sesterhenn, dp, 3 1 1 1, Beiner, rf, 2 0 0 0, Runyan, 1b, 3 0 1 0, Norman, 2b, 3 0 0 0, A.Aikey, lf, 3 1 2 0, K.Aikey, p, 0 0 0 0. Totals 28 3 8 3.
KENNEDY (5)
Kubovec, c, 3 0 1 1, Green, cf, 0 0 0 0, Flesner, cf, 3 0 1 0, McKinnon, lf, 3 1 1 0, Baskerville, dh, 3 1 0 0, Gaffey, 3b, 2 1 0 0, Rathjens, 2b, 3 1 1 0, Coker, 1b, 3 0 1 1, Wagner, ss, 2 1 0 0, McQuiston, rf, 1 0 0 0, Sohn, p, 0 0 0 0. Totals 23 5 5 2.
Cedar Falls 000 021 0 - 3 8 2
Kennedy 000 212 x - 5 5 0
K.Aikey and Youngblut; Sohn and Kubovec. W - Sohn (6-12), L - K.Aikey (8-10). 2B - Youngblut. HR - Sesterhenn. SB - Smith, Beiner.
GAME TWO
CEDAR FALLS (11)
Youngblut, 2b, 5 2 2 0, Miller, cf, 5 1 2 0, Smith, ss, 5 3 3 3, Hutchens, 3b, 5 0 2 2, Sesterhenn, 1b, 4 0 2 0, Davies, pr, 0 0 0 0, Beiner, rf, 4 1 2 0, Kramer, c, 4 1 1 2, Runyan, dh, 4 1 2 0, A.Aikey, p/lf, 3 1 3 1, Norman, cr, 0 1 0 0, Boyer, lf, 0 0 0 0, K.Aikey, p, 0 0 0 0. Totals 39 11 19 8.
KENNEDY (14)
Kubovec, c, 3 0 1 2, Green, cr, 0 0 0 0, Flesner, cf, 3 3 0 0, McKinnon, lf, 4 2 2 0, Baskerville, dh, 5 2 3 2, Gaffey, 3b, 4 2 3 7, Rathjens, 2b, 3 2 1 0, Coker, 1b, 4 1 3 0, Wagner, ss, 2 1 0 0, McQuiston, rf, 4 1 1 1, Crist, p, 0 0 0 0. Totals 32 14 14 12.
Cedar Falls 142 040 0 - 11 19 2
Kennedy 013 262 x - 14 14 1
A.Aikey, K.Aikey (4) and Kramer; Crist and Kubovec. W - Crist (6-11). L - K.Aikey (8-11). 2B - Youngblut, Smith, Gaffey, Coker, McQuiston. HR - Smith, Kramer, A.Aikey, Gaffey 2. SB - Smith.
