Mount Pleasant ousted by Keokuk in regional semi

KEOKUK ? What started out as a defensive battle and pitcher?s duel quickly became an offensive onslaught by Class 3A eighth-ranked Keokuk.

Fueled by miscues and errors by Mount Pleasant, the Chiefs ended the Panthers? season with an 11-1 win in six innings.

Mount Pleasant knocked out Fairfield with a 6-0 victory Saturday night.

Trailing 1-0 at the start of the fifth inning Monday, Mount Pleasant (16-21) hitters Natalie Booton, Jena Stukerjurgen and Lindsay Dorn went down one-two-three, and the Keokuk bats (27-14) came alive.

Mollie Martin hit an RBI single to center field to load the bases, before Sammi Goble walked Alicia Jones, pushing another run across in the bottom of the fifth inning. Chelsea Kies and Martin scored on passed balls before Chelsea Deyo belted a two RBI double, ratcheting the score to 7-1.

RBI doubles from Marlee Washburn and Jones continued the scoring in the sixth for Keokuk. Then, a hard-hit two RBI double from Rachel Dunlap bounced off the dirt by shortstop Rebekah Kimzey, driving in the game ending two runs.

?[Mount Pleasant] gave us a very good game for three or four innings. I think then that our experience of being in the tournament games kicked in a little bit,? said Keokuk coach Merle Jones. ?I saw a little bit of nerves on the Mount Pleasant part but I thought they played a whale of a ball game.

?The scoreboard said 11-1 but it was a very nerve wracking, well played game for five innings by them,? continued Jones.

Mount Pleasant committed six of its seven total errors in the fifth and sixth innings.

?Most of their runs were unearned and that?s been the story of our season,? said Mount Pleasant coach Angie Rodgers.

Lindsay Fox drove in the Panthers? lone run in the sixth inning on an RBI single. Fox accounted for both of Mount Pleasant?s total hits against Keokuk, going two-for-three on the night.

Rodgers also noted that an uneven strike zone for both teams didn?t help the Panthers? cause.

?It doesn?t help when our strike zone was quite a bit smaller when we were up on defense. Our pitchers both did a great job but we just weren?t getting the strikes called when we were up to bat called against us,? said Rodgers.

Keokuk moves on to play Chariton tomorrow night in the Class 3A, Region 7 final in Fairfield, starting at 7 p.m.

?This has been four out of the last five years we?ve been in a regional final so it?s tough playing these conference teams for a fifth time,? said Jones.