Comet softball team finishes regular season with 2-2 showing in Iowa City

Staff Report

The Charles City Comets have a full week off from softball competition after being particularly busy during the holiday weekend.

On Friday and Saturday, the Comets were in Iowa City for their annual participation in a regular-season finale softball tournament at the Iowa Hawkeye Complex.

Charles City went 2-2 during the weekend while ending the regular season with an overall record of 22-10.

On Friday, the Comets started with a 4-2 extra-inning victory over Davenport North. With the game tied at 1-1 after seven innings, Charles City rallied for three runs in the eighth and held Davenport North to one in the latter half of the frame.

Megan Roethler went the eight-inning distance for the win after scattering six hits and yielding one earned run.

Megan Staudt was 3-for-4 with two runs scored, and Shae Etherington and Sara Martin each had two hits for the Comets.

For the Comets’ second game on Friday, they were pitted against West Des Moines Valley, which is ranked sixth in Class 5A according the the latest Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union listing.

Despite a home run by Sara Martin — her 10th of the season — the Comets were handily defeated, 7-1.

Sophomore Claire Stalzer got the two-hit win and Alex Honnold homers for Valley, which would go 3-1 during the tournament while improving to 34-3.

Charles City bounced back the following morning when beating Waterloo East, 7-2. Etherington and Payton Reams each had four hits for the Comets with Etherington doubling once and Reams doubling twice.

Freshman Sami Heyer, who helped clinch second place in the Northeast Iowa Conference for the Comets with a complete-game shutout victory over Decorah in the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader, picked up her second win of the season after yielding four hits and one earned run in seven innings.

Charles City lost their final game of the tournament to West Liberty, 7-1. A triple by Megan Staudt was one of only three hits the Comets were able to get off West Liberty starter Kyleigh Becker.

The next game for Charles City will be in the second round of the Class 4A Region 3 bracket when it hosts the winner of Mason City-vs.-Decorah at 7 p.m. Saturday at Sportsmen’s Park.

CHARLES CITY 4,

DAVENPORT NORTH 2

Scoring By Innings

CC 000 001 03 — 4 10 0

DN 000 001 01 — 2 6 1

WP — Megan Roethler (CC) 8 IN, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO.

LP — Emily Baezinger (DN) 8 IN, 10 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB 6 SO.

Leading Hitters — Charles City: Megan Staudt (3-4, 2 runs scored, RBI), Shae Etherington (2-4, run scored), Sara Martin (2-4, RBI).

WEST DM VALLEY 7,

CHARLES CITY 1

Scoring By Innings

CC 000 000 1 — 1 2 1

V 001 024 X — 7 12 1

WP — Claire Stalzer (V) 7 IN, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO.

LP — Sami Heyer (CC) 5 IN, 10 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO.

Leading Hitters — Charles City: Sara Martin (1-2, HR, RBI, run scored).

CHARLES CITY 7, WATERLOO EAST 2

Scoring By Innings

CC 001 002 4 — 7 17 2

WE 002 000 0 — 2 4 3

WP — Sami Heyer (CC) 7 IN, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO.

LP — Leah Frost (WE) 7 IN, 17 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO.

Leading Hitters — Charles City: Payton Reams (4-5, 2 2B, 3 runs scored, RBI, SB), Shae Etherington (4-5, 2B, 2 RBI, run scored, SB), Tayler Schmidt (2-4, RBI), Megan Staudt (2-4, run scored).

WEST LIBERTY 7, CHARLES CITY 1

Scoring By Innings

CC 010 000 0 — 1 3 3

WL 100 123 X — 7 9 1

WP  — Kyleigh Becker (WL) 7 IN, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 SO.

LP — Megan Roethler (CC) 6 IN, 9 H, 7 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 2 SO.

Leading Hitters — Charles City: Megan Staudt (1-3, 3B, RBI).