Fairfield falls, vows return to state

CARLISLE — Bailey Hird is the only senior on the 10th-ranked 2021 Fairfield softball team that lost 8-0 in a Class 4A regional final Tuesday to the fourth-ranked Carlisle Wildcats.

The score was 3-0 after five innings. Hird’s favorite memory of the season was used as motivation late Tuesday night.

“Fort Madison had us down by three runs in the sixth inning, and we battled back, got home runs (from Emmersyn Manley and Hannah Simpson) and we ended up winning,” Hird said. “That was awesome. We knew we could win, down 3-0.”

As the Wildcats kept getting runs in the sixth inning, Fairfield’s energy depleted.

"I’m really sad because I’ve grown to love all of my teammates so much,“ Hird said. ”I knew that was my last at bat, so I was nervous, but whatever the outcome, I knew everything would be OK.“

It may seem odd that a game with both teams getting three hits was an 8-0 shut out, but free bases and dropped balls are a bad combination.

“The key is you can’t put people on base,” Fairfield head coach Bob Bradfield said. “We walked too many (nine), and we didn’t make defensive plays (four errors) that we should’ve made. We under performed in all three areas: pitching, hitting and defense.”

When that happens a team usually loses by a decent margin.

Carlisle is third in Class 4A in stolen bases. It scored the only run it would need in the first inning stealing home after an infield fly out catching the Trojans unaware.

“There is nothing surprising that they did,” Bradfield said. “That is not an excuse for us.”

"It just doesn’t feel very good,“ Simpson said. ”Carlisle showed up to play is what it comes down to. I think we obviously weren’t ready for (the aggressive base running) but we will learn from it, though. That’s all that matters.“

With five juniors, three sophomores, a freshman and three eighth-graders on the varsity roster, Simpson has big plans for next year. “State title, we’re going to go up there, and do some damage and get the job done. We’ve got to work harder in the offseason.”

The Trojans finished with a record of 25-13. Carlisle advances with a mark of 28-10.

“We had a really good season, so I don’t think we have anything to be upset about,” Hird said. “We had a really great season.”