Wildcats sweep TRC doubleheaders

Softball

     Maquoketa Valley won four straight games against Tri-Rivers Conference opponents in last week’s softball action.

     Maquoketa Valley (12-7, 21-16) scored a pair of five-inning victories at home against Midland June 26, by scores of 10-0 and 11-0. The Wildcats collected 10 hits in the first game. Lea Ries was 2-for-2 with two runs batted in. Brianna Mensen and Abby Holtz both went 2-for-3. Payton Ries, Olivia Hoeger, Maci Freiburger, Lea Ries and Holtz all doubled. Holtz pitched a four-hit shutout with six strikeouts to get the win.

     In the second game, Alison Sheehy fired a two-hitter with six strikeouts and no walks. Lea Ries batted 2-for-3 with a double. Mensen was 1-for-3 with five stolen bases. Mikayla Callan had three RBIs, and Maddie Lahr had two.

     The Wildcats also swept a doubleheader at Bellevue Marquette June 29, winning 7-4 and 7-2. Payton Ries was 2-for-4 with a double in the first game. Rejji Smith and Cassie Westhoff also doubled. Holtz was the winning pitcher.

     Sheehy hurled a four-hitter with four strikeouts in the second game, and her teammates hit three home runs. MV had 10 hits. Smith was 2-for-3 with a solo home run. Mensen went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Lea Ries also homered. Olivia Hoeger went 2-for-4.

Baseball

     Maquoketa Valley went 2-2 in Tri-Rivers Conference play, and 2-3 overall, in five baseball games last week.

     The Wildcats (13-9, 15-12) split a pair of close games at Calamus-Wheatland June 22. Cal-Wheat won the first one 3-2 by scoring the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning. MV had four hits; Clint Krapfl was 2-for-4, while Norm Wilson and Heath Gibbs both went 1-for-3. Alec McDowell started and pitched six innings. Brock Hillers pitched in the seventh and took the loss.

     MV bounced back to win the second game 1-0, as Tyson Tucker pitched a five-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts and just one walk. McDowell had an RBI double to bring home Zak Harbach with the game’s only run, in the first inning.

     On June 23, MV played host to Cascade in a single game, and lost 9-2. The Wildcats collected seven hits, mostly from Tucker and Krapfl, both of whom went 3-for-4. One of Tucker’s hits was a double. Starting pitcher Cole Willenbring took the loss.

     Maquoketa Valley then split a home doubleheader against Midland, losing 8-2 and winning 10-3. Krapfl went 2-for-3 and Tucker was 2-for-4 in the first game. Gibbs had a double.

     In the second game, the Wildcats took a 6-0 lead after two innings. Trevor Elgin pitched a five-hitter with nine strikeouts to get the win. Krapfl and Wilson both went 2-for-3; Wilson had two RBIs. Harbach hit a double.