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Trojan softball takes 2
Offense comes alive for Fairfield in SEC doubleheader against Keokuk
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
KEOKUK — The Fairfield softball team needed some runs on Monday night against an offensively-skilled Keokuk team, and that’s exactly what the Trojans got.
Fairfield plated 22 runs in a wild doubleheader against Keokuk, winning games 10-8 and 12-7 to secure second place in the Southeast Conference standings.
A wild start in Game 1 left the Trojans down 6-5 after two innings. Fairfield scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth, but gave up two in the top of the sixth, and it was 8-8 with one-and-a-half frames left.
Fairfield secured victory in the bottom of the sixth inning. Maddy Martin put Fairfield ahead with an RBI single, and Leah Helmick walked with the bases loaded, then shut the Chiefs out in the seventh to give the Trojans a 10-8 victory.
Helmick finished the game 1-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Olivia Hollander was 2-for-2 with two RBIs. Lilly Bergren, Faith Jones and Laney Norris all knocked one in, and Martin finished with two hits and an RBI.
In Game 2, Keokuk jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, but the Fairfield offense never let the Chiefs breathe.
Bergren blasted a home run in the bottom of the first to cut into the advantage. Then down 6-1 in the third, the Trojans scored five runs to take a 6-5 lead.
Fairfield put up two runs in the fourth, which were immediately answered by two in the top of the fifth for Keokuk. Fairfield, however, had plenty left in the tank, scoring four more runs in the bottom of the fifth to make it a 12-7 ballgame.
“It was a strange game for us, offensively,” said Fairfield head coach Bob Bradfield. “But we did score enough to win, and that’s the main thing, I guess.”
Norris started the game in the circle before being relieved by Audrey Ryan in the fifth inning. Norris picked up the win, thanks in part to her own offensive output, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs to lead the team.
“We were off to a little bit of a rocky start in that first inning, but once we got our timing right and got our energy up, things really went through,” said Norris after the win. “We just need that first hit to get us going every time.”
Helmick finished 4-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI in Game 2. Haylee Eklund was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Bergren was 2-for-5 with a homer and an RBI. Jones knocked one batter in, as did Vanessa Kessel.
The win put the Trojans at 17-14 overall and 10-4 in conference play. That clinches second place, as Fairfield is two games above Burlington (8-6) going into Thursday night’s final SEC showdown.
