Lexi lifts off!

ELDON - Lexi Jirak did it again.

The Van Buren County senior launched a solo home run in the top of the seventh to lift the Warriors past Cardinal 4-3 in the Class 2A Region 8 opener on Monday night. It was her first homer since a go-ahead grand slam against Highland in a 4-3 upset of the Huskies in last year's regional quarterfinals.

Jirak came up to bat with two out and nobody on in the top of the final inning, and sent a lightning rod to left field, a no-doubter into the parking lot. which proved to be the decisive run in a back-and-forth battle.

'I said drive the ball and she drove the ball,” said head coach Randy Smith. 'When it left the bat, I know it was gone, and my vehicle is out there too, so she better not have hit it.”

Jirak's bomb came after Cardinal relief pitcher Nicoa McClure got two quick outs to start the final inning. Van Buren's lone senior knew it might be the last at-bat she'd ever get in a high school uniform.

'I just told someone the other day, this could be the last game, so I hope I get one,” Jirak said. 'It was pretty exciting.”

Starting pitchers Ally Cambell of Van Buren and Kassidy Verrips of Cardinal traded scoreless innings in the first three frames. Isabel Manning looked to have broken the tie in the top of the third with a hit to center field but a potential scoring run from second was gunned out by Comet center fielder Alexia McClure.

A. McClure went on to score the first run of the game in the fourth when she tagged up from second on a fly-ball and scampered home on a throwing error.

VBC scored twice in the fifth, once in a bloop single by Manning and once on a Chelsey Huff RBI single to center. A. McClure struck again, however, tossing out another potential Warrior run at home plate to end the top of the fifth and keep the VBC lead at 2-1.

'That center fielder has a cannon,” said Coach Smith. 'I knew when I was sending them, if it was a good throw, we're out, and it was a good throw every time.”

Kinsey Hissem gave the lead back to Cardinal with a two-RBI double to left field in the bottom of the fifth, but VBC struck right back with an RBI single from Annabell Cormier in the sixth, scoring Ivy Davidson, who led the inning off with a double.

Cambell came up clutch in the circle when she needed to for VBC. Cardinal stranded two runners in scoring position in the sixth inning, and had the potential tying run on first base in the seventh. A. McClure sent a looping fly ball into left, but Ella Jirak made a running catch to end the game, and end the Comets' season.

VBC (9-7) will move on to play at No. 2 Louisa-Muscatine in Wednesday night's regional quarterfinals. Cardinal's season ends at 10-7.