Johnson, Moffett preserve sweep for MP girls on senior night

By Andy Krutsinger,

Mt. Pleasant News

The eighth-ranked Panther softball team had a scare in game two of their doubleheader against Washington on Thursday night, but a couple of seniors stepped up in clutch time on senior night.

A two-run triple by Bailey Johnson and a walk-off single by Sarah Moffett in the eighth inning lifted the Panthers to a thrilling 8-7 win in game two. The Panthers rolled, 7-2, in game two.

All nine runs in game one came in the first three innings. Mt. Pleasant opened the game with three runs in the first inning and two in the second to take a 5-0 lead. Washington cut it to 5-2 with two of their own in the top of the third, but the Panthers got both runs back in the bottom of the inning.

Anni Liechty went 2-4 with two runs scored in game one. Trinity Krabill was 2-3 with a double and a run scored.

Jackie Fraise was 1-2 with two RBIs. Cali Liechty went 1-3 with a couple RBIs of her own. Chi Glaha, Moffett and Makayla Cam each knocked one run in.

Cali Liechty picked up the win in the opener, going seven innings and giving up two earned runs on two hits and no walks, while striking out three batters.

Game two was one of the best SEC games of the year as the teams went back and forth for 10 innings.

Washington scored the first four runs of the game. Johnson knocked in a Panther run in the third and it was 4-1 Demons after three.

Washington held a four-run lead one other time in the game. Morgan Brinning hit an RBI double off the fence in the top of the fourth to stretch the lead to 5-1.

Mt. Pleasant started clawing back with a Makayla Cam RBI single in the fourth. Moffett made it 5-3 with an RBI single of her own in the bottom of the fifth.

Trinity Krabill made the Demons sweat a little more in the bottom of the sixth inning with a solo homer that cut the lead to 5-4. That set up for a crazy bottom of the seventh inning.

C. Liechty reached in the bottom of the seventh with a single. Maggie Cristoforo stole second and scrambled to third base on a wild throw.

Buckert sent a deep fly ball to centerfield that was good enough to tie the game on a sacrifice fly and the two teams headed to extra innings.

Game one starters Sparks and C. Liechty eventually made their way back to the ballgame in extra innings, both getting out of a couple of jams before a wild 10th inning.

K. Mitchell made it 6-5 Demons with a bases-loaded, two-out walk in the top of the 10th. Stout had an RBI single that stretched the lead to 7-5, but A. Liechty made a diving play at short stop and threw out a runner rounding third to get the third out.

Mt. Pleasant put the first two hitters on in the bottom of the seventh. Johnson stepped to the plate with one out and runners on second and third and delivered a line drive to right that turned into a game-tying triple.

With momentum swinging back in the favor of Mt. Pleasant, Moffett hit an infield single that won the game. The Demons tried to throw Johnson out at home but were too late.

Johnson finished 3-6 with a double, a triple and three RBIs to lead Mt. Pleasant offensively. Moffett went 2-6 with two RBIs. Cam went 4-5 with an RBI and a run scored. A. Liechty was 4-6 on the night with a run scored.

Johnson started the game for Mt. Pleasant and went eight and one-third innings, giving up five runs (four earned) on 10 hits and two walks, while striking out one. C. Liechty picked up the win, throwing one and two-thirds innings and giving up two runs (one earned) on two hits and one walk.

After the game, an ecstatic Troy Mears talked about the team?s comeback victory.

?I told Moffett right there at the end, just step up there, find a good pitch and win the freaking game,? he said. ?I kept telling them, we?re pressing a little too hard. We still gotta get our swings (so) don?t press so hard that we take ourselves out of what we normally do.?

Mears also praised the depth of his lineup on a night where the bottom of the order shined down the stretch.

?Our seven, eight (and) nine (hitters), I wouldn?t want to face,? he said. ?It doesn?t matter where we are in the lineup. Three and four (Johnson and Moffett) won it for us, but it was a team effort.?

Mt. Pleasant moved to 26-7 and 11-3 in conference play. They?ll take on four 5A teams (Iowa City West, Valley, Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Muscatine) this weekend at the University of Iowa Complex in Iowa City.