Blast from the past

MT. PLEASANT — Former Fairfield softball standouts Sara Trent and Brynna Bowman know Mapleleaf Athletic Complex well.

In high school, a trip to Mapleleaf meant playing in some of the most important games of the season. Fairfield and Mt. Pleasant both won more than 30 games in the girls’ senior year, so every game was a marquee matchup.

On Wednesday night, the 2017 graduates made their triumphant return, four years after graduation. This time, they were wearing Simpson College uniforms.

“I was telling Sara when we came in here that it feels odd,” Bowman said. “We’d normally be playing Mt. Pleasant.“

The visiting Simpson squad, sports three former Fairfield players; seniors Trent and Bowman, and sophomore Blair Bowman, who didn’t travel with the team.

The evening ended with a split, as Iowa Wesleyan won Game 1, 10-2, and Simpson took Game 2, 11-3. But the final scores were only part of the story.

"I felt comfortable on this field, being that we played on it in high school,“ Trent said. ”It was just really nice to be back here.“

Both players started the game for Simpson. Trent played third base, and Bowman was in right field, giving them both a shot to take on Iowa Wesleyan ace and former New London standout Morgan Christner, another familiar face.

Christner played on the same club team as Trent and Bowman, all sporting the Southeast Iowa Hawks. She last played against the pair in 2014 when Fairfield topped New London 5-2 at the Trojans’ home tournament.

“She just brings back a lot of memories that Brynna and I have,” Trent said. “I actually used to catch her on our travel team, so I kind of know all her pitches and movement.”

Trent collected three hits in Game 1, and reached base in Game 2 before taking a stumble running through first and having to exit the game due to injury.

Both former Trojan stars say they are living it up in their last year on the field.

“Sara and I have played together since we were 6-years old,” Bowman said. “It’s one last go-round, and we’re going to make the best of it.”

Simpson is currently 9-14 overall and 6-9 in conference play. The Storm have just over one month left of the season. The pair say they are just happy to be back on the field for one final trip, especially after having last season taken away due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s just good to be playing softball,” Bowman said. “It’s good to be able to let loose and just be able to play games.”