Nine-game week results in five MV wins

Softball

     Maquoketa Valley played nine games in six days last week, winning five of them, as the regular season softball schedule heated up.

     The Wildcats (7-4, 16-11) opened the week by sweeping Easton Valley June 12 in Delhi, winning 9-4 and 12-2, the second game in five innings. Abby Holtz pitched for the win in the first game, allowing eight hits and striking out three. Payton Ries batted 2-for-3 with two doubles, and Maci Freiburger was 2-for-2.

     A quick start was key to the second game win, as MV took a 9-1 lead after two innings. The ‘Cats had 12 hits. Lea Ries was 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. Brianna Mensen went 3-for-4, while Rejji Smith and Payton Ries had two hits apiece. Alison Sheehy pitched four innings for the win, and Freiburger pitched the fifth inning.

     MV played a non-conference doubleheader at Monticello June 13, winning 6-5 and losing 16-12. The ‘Cats took a 6-2 lead through four innings of the first game, then held off a Monticello rally. Smith was 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Mensen and Holtz had two hits each; Mensen had a double. Holtz worked 4 2/3 innings to get the win, then Sheehy got the last out to record a save.

     The Wildcats took a 12-7 lead in the second game by scoring six runs in the top of the seventh, but Monticello came back with nine, including a walk-off grand slam, to win it. MV had 11 hits; Payton Ries was 4-for-4 with a double. Freiburger hit a home run and had five total RBIs. Danica Fjelstul was 2-for-3 with a homer and two RBIs.

     On June 15, the Wildcats traveled to Alburnett, and lost a 7-3 decision. MV had 10 hits, with Smith and Mensen getting two each. Freiburger hit a two-run homer. Sheehy pitched and took the loss. A second game was postponed due to poor weather.

     Next, MV played in the West Delaware Tournament June 16-17, winning two out of four games. The Wildcats opened with a 6-1 loss to Dyersville Beckman getting just five hits.

     The Wildcats bounced back with a 19-1, three-inning win over Cedar Rapids Washington, scoring all of their runs in the first inning. MV was issued 13 walked, and had seven hits. Cassie Westhoff went 2-for-2 with a triple and four RBIs. Payton Ries had three RBIs, while Macy Hoeger, Smith and Holtz had two each. Freiburger pitched a one-hitter with five strikeouts.

     On Saturday, the ‘Cats lost a 3-2 decision to Crestwood. MV had nine hits, with Lea Ries and Mensen getting two apiece. Payton Ries and Smith had doubles. Holtz pitched and took the loss.

     Again, MV came back with a win, this time beating Dubuque Wahlert 8-3, scoring four runs in both the fifth and sixth innings. Fjelstul was 2-for-3 with a double and four RBIs. Payton Ries and Mensen both went 3-for-4. Sheehy was the winning pitcher, allowing five hits and striking out eight in seven innings.

Baseball

     After losing a heartbreaker in the first game, Maquoketa Valley’s baseball team stormed to a 10-0, five inning win in the second game to salvage a split of a home doubleheader against Easton Valley Monday, June 12 in Delhi.

     The Wildcats (9-5, 9-7) lost the first game 1-0, giving up the game’s only run in the top of the seventh inning. MV was held to three hits. Zak Harbach batted 1-for-1 with two walks and a stolen base. Norm Wilson was the hard-luck losing pitcher, working seven innings, allowing six hits, striking out seven and walking just one.

     Maquoketa Valley scored seven runs in the first inning of the second game, and added three more in the second, on the way to the 10-0 win. The Wildcats had eight hits , led by Tyson Tucker, who was 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored. Brock Hillers, Trevor Elgin and Heath Gibbs each had two RBIs, and Colin Wendt had one. Courtesy runner Teige Hunt had a stolen base and scored two runs.

     Pitchers Trevor Elgin and Tyson Tucker combined on a two-hitter, with Elgin pitching the first four innings and Tucker working the last one.