Comets defeat upstart Trojans 6-0, advance to regional final

By John Burbridge
sports@charlescitypress.com
CHARLES CITY — Even though the Waterloo East Trojans went into the postseason with a 5-35 record, it could have been a fatal mistake to look past them.

Just ask Decorah.

But in the semifinal round of the Class 4A-Region 3 softball bracket, the Charles City Comets were focused on the task at hand and eliminated the upstart Trojans 6-0, Saturday at Sportsmen’s Park.

The Class 4A No. 4-ranked Comets (34-3) advance to the regional final where they will host Mason City, 7 p.m. Tuesday while vying for the program’s fourth straight State Softball Championships appearance.

Due to their regular season success, the Comets received the top seed in the bracket and were granted a bye to the semis. Waterloo East had to go through Decorah, which it defeated 5-2 on Thursday, on the way to reaching the semifinal round.

Donning the same type of vintage-Houston Astros uniforms as the Comets, the Trojans’ true shaded colors for the postseason was that of the “Dark Horse”. Their upside down season record is less an indication of their talent or lack thereof, but rather more of their schedule laden with topnotch Class 5A teams.

Early on, Charles City got the indication that this wasn’t a team that gives away too many outs as the Comets went down 1-2-3 in the first innings thanks in part to flawless glove work in the infield.

So instead, the Comets went on to earn their runs in the second inning themselves where they rallied for 3. Ashlyn Hoeft and Allie Cross started the inning with back-to-back doubles, though a quick throw back to the infield kept Hoeft at third base. Hoeft eventually scored on a safety squeeze from Alex Litterer. An infield groundout by Kiki Connell and a sacrifice fly from Sami Heyer drove in the other 2 runs in the inning.

The Comets scored 3 more runs in the fourth with the big blow being Lydia Staudt’s 2-run triple. Staudt, who had three hits on the night,
soon scored herself on Rachel Chambers’s RBI single.

Heyer picked up her 32nd win of the season in a 1-hit shutout where she struck out nine and walked none.

Cross and Sadie Gebel each had two-hit games for the Comets, who may be playing their last game at Mark Fluher Field at Sportsmen’s Park in the final against the Mohawks — if all goes according to plan, Charles City’s softball and baseball teams will be playing at new home fields starting next season.

Though Waterloo East has been dispatched, that doesn’t mean there isn’t another “Dark Horse” still alive and kicking in the bracket.

Mason City (18-20) advanced to the final with a 7-6 win over Webster City in eight innings. The Comets had faced the Mohawks earlier in the season during a tournament hosted by Mason City. Charles City was up only by 1 run (2-1) through six innings before scoring 2 in the seventh on way to a 4-1 final.