Daily Newsletters
Account
Washington Evening Journal
111 North Marion Avenue
Washington, IA 52353
319-653-2191
Fairfield softball survives MP
Hollander’s homer helps hold off hungry Panthers
MT. PLEASANT — Mt. Pleasant didn’t make it easy on the visiting Fairfield Trojans on Thursday night, but in the end, Fairfield walked out with another win over its chief rival.
Despite an early deficit and a late Mt. Pleasant run, the Trojans survived the Panthers, 9-6, to finish off the season series.
Mt. Pleasant came out firing early on. After a two-run Fairfield first inning, Mt. Pleasant responded by plating two in the bottom of the first and one more in the second to take a 3-2 lead.
Fairfield took the lead in the fourth with a pair of runs in the top half, but Mt. Pleasant tied things back up at 4-4 with a run of its own.
Eventually, the Trojan offense would pull away with a lead. Eighth-grader Vanessa Kessel broke the tie with an RBI in the top of the fifth, one of two Trojan runs in the inning, and Savannah Hollander delivered a big punch in the sixth when she sent a 3-run home run just over the right field fence.
“I wasn't really thinking,” Hollander said. “The last time I hit a home run, I just went with the flow. I just let loose.”
Mt. Pleasant would make the game interesting in the bottom of the seventh. Down 9-4, the Panthers got a hit with two on and nobody out, but an out was made at the plate by Fairfield catcher Lilly Bergren. A wild sequence ended with Panther eighth-grader Bella Dodds leaping over Bergren to score a run, but the Trojans still had some breathing room.
Mt. Pleasant was within three runs with the top of the order up, two on and one out, but a bouncer to second-baseman Faith Jones ended the game, as Jones was able to tag the runner going to second and zip it over to first for a double-play.
“She's a legend,” said Hollander. “I love being on the infield with her. I got hyped with that.”
Hollander finished 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs. Jones was 3-for-4 with an RBI. Emmelia Miller had a pair of RBIs, and both Kessel and Leah Helmick had one.
“We made a couple of mistakes there and let them have a chance,” said Fairfield head coach Bob Bradfield. “The key in the game was, when they went ahead, and our eighth-grader Vanessa got a good hit.”
Mt. Pleasant’s Emma Starr went 2-for-2 on the day. Kynlee White was 2-for-3. Linzy Striegel and Macy Jones each went 2-for-4, and Dodds finished 1-for-1.
The Trojans played four games over the weekend, beating Regina 3-1 and Solon 6-4, while taking a 10-0 loss to Clear Creek-Amana and an 11-3 loss against Williamsburg.
The Trojans (8-18, 3-9) will play at Keokuk (8-14, 5-6) on Monday night, while Mt. Pleasant (2-19, 1-10) hosts Fort Madison (7-16, 4-6).
