MP softball runs through Keokuk

The Mt. Pleasant softball team played Keokuk four times in one week, and cruised to four blowout victories. The Panthers won Thursday night's games 11-1 and 9-0, and have now won six of their last seven games.

After giving up a run in the top of the first inning in game one, the Panther offense gave the fans a taste of what was to come all night. Anni Liechty, Sydni Coleman and Lexie Magnani each had an RBI and the Panthers sent seven batters to the plate before the inning was done.

Mt. Pleasant's offense stalled out for the next three innings, but Mt. Pleasant busted the game open in the fifth.

Mt. Pleasant loaded the bases with nobody out. Coleman came to the plate and cleared the bases with a triple to stretch the lead to 6-1. Samantha Broeker, Hannah Newman and Lyndi Vantiger all added RBIs in the frame.

The Panthers got another RBI out of Broeker in the sixth inning. The combo of Coleman and Newman in the circle kept Keokuk at bay all game long, and the Panthers took game one in six innings.

Coleman started game two, and it was a carbon copy of game one; just a couple of runs early on but a blowout fifth inning.

Liechty put the Panthers up 1-0 with a one-out RBI triple in the first inning. Newman knocked in another run on a Keokuk error in the second inning to give Mt. Pleasant a 2-0 advantage.

In the fifth, Mt. Pleasant busted it open again. They scored seven runs in the fifth inning, including two more RBIs by Liechty and a two-run homer from Trinity Krabill. Ava Lowery had an RBI single in the fifth, as well.

Coleman started the second game as well, this time being relieved by Kenna Smith.

'We had the game plan of starting Sydni, scoring a bunch of runs, relieving her and then starting her again,” said head coach Troy Mears after the sweep. 'It took a little longer in the first game than I thought, but once we broke loose, I felt real confident putting Hannah in there.”

Mears also spoke about the team's hitting, saying he was pleased with the at-bats the Panthers put together.

'We only had four or five bad swings tonight,” Mears said. 'The rest of the stuff, we had good swings on. That's very important right now. I was really impressed with how we handled ourselves at the plate tonight.”

Mt. Pleasant outscored Keokuk 46-2 in the four games this season. They are now 12-4 overall and 8-2 in conference play, and will take part in tournaments in Ottumwa and Wapello this weekend.