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It was a nailbiter when two good Six Rivers West softball teams locked up in a classic battle Monday that the Highland Cardinals turned into a 2-1 win over Potosi/Cassville.
Grace Dreischmeier pitched the win, going the distance in a nine strikeout seven hitter. The reigning SRW Pitcher of the Year walked three and kept the Chieftains off the board until the seventh.
"She made some big pitches," said coach Ike Campbell. "Every time P/C was poised to do some damage she would come up with a change up or a well placed fastball to get out of trouble."
It was a pitcher's duel until the fifth when the host Cardinals found the scoreboard. Shortstop Meg Tarrell found a pitch she liked and roped it over the center fielder's head for a triple. She then came home on a single through a pulled in infield by Cloe Campbell.'
"Cloe is a hitter," Campbell said. "She is a very tough out, especially with runners on base."
The Cardinals made it 2-0 in the sixth when Tarrell singled with the bases loaded to score Ella Cody who had singled to start the bases loaded scene.
Tarrell was 3x3 to lead Highland's six hit attack. Cody, Dreischmeier and Campbell had the other three hits.
Potosi scored in the top of the seventh when Wynne Siegert walked and scored on a double by Gracie Breitsprecker. With the tying run on third Highland second baseman Ella Cody made the play of the day when she knocked down a potential single and turned it into an out by throwing the runner out at first.
"That was a great play and badly needed to end a good game against a good team," Campbell said.
CARDINALS vs
MOUNT HOREB
The Cardinals took on one of the top teams in Division 3 in Mount Horeb and lost to the Vikings 14-5 in a make-shift tournament at Iowa-Grant.
The Cardinals saw one of the state's top pitchers in Lucy Dahlk and while they got to her for seven hits, she was able to record 11 punch-outs and five walks.
"Mount Horeb is a good team and Dahlk throws very hard," Campbell said. "It was good to face someone like that. I felt we did a good job against a very good team."
Freshman Kate Tarrell got the call for the Cardinals and pitched well against a tough group of hitters. She recorded six strikeouts and gave up 14 hits.
The Vikings plated five runs in the first but the Cardinals answered with two in the bottom of the second. They added two in the fifth and one in the sixth,
"We could have been 10-runned a few times but to the girls credit they battled," Campbell said. "I am proud of how they fought to play a full game."
The Cardinals had four errors in the game which led to six unearned runs.'
Ella Cody had two hits for the Cardinals while Campbell, Jenna James, Dreischmeier, Lily Michek and Tristin Imhoff all had one.