Comet sweep good for 2nd place in NEIC

Charles City rolls over Decorah, 13-0 and 12-0.

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

DECORAH — Ever hear of Bumpus Jones?

How about Bobo Hollowman? Does Teddy Breitenstein ring a bell?

All three threw no-hitters in their first major league starts … and for the most part were never heard from again.

Charles City freshman Sami Heyer nearly threw a no-hitter in her first varsity softball start. Chances are we’ll be hearing more about her in the future.

“She really hasn’t pitched in two years,” Comet head coach Brian Bohlen said of Heyer, who is coming off two ACL surgeries. “She was just recently cleared to pitch, and she had … what? … about two or three junior varsity starts.

“We decided to put her out there today for her first varsity.”

After the Comets made short work of the Decorah Vikings with a 13-0, three-inning blowout in the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader, Heyer was sent out to the circle for game two.

Deftly using a changeup to complement an above-average fastball, Heyer fanned 10 Vikings in six innings. Katie Nimrod’s one-out double that found a gap in right-center in the sixth was the only hit off Meyer, who managed to preserve the shutout as the Comets won the second game, 12-0.

The sweep improved Charles City’s overall record to 20-8 while clinching second place in the Northeast Iowa Conference.

“We knew we didn’t have a chance to catch (Waverly-Shell Rock) for first,” Bohlen said, “but we needed a sweep here to have sole possession of second place, and that’s what we got.

“A split would have tied us with Crestwood.”

In both games, the Comets jumped out to early leads in the first innings, scoring five in the first game and four in the second.

In the first game, Sara Martin clubbed two home runs — her team-leading eighth and ninth of the season — while driving in six runs. Martin also went 2-for-4 in the second game with a double — her 10th of the second, which incidentally also leads the Comets.

Bailey Mitchell was 5-for-6 with two doubles and four RBIs combined in both games; Payton Reams had two doubles in the second game; Shae Etherington was 3-for-5 and had four stolen bases (29 for the season) in the second game; and Megan Roethler improved to 11-5 after three innings of one-hit work in the first game.

Things get a little more challenging this holiday weekend for the Comets as they travel to the University of Iowa Hawkeye Softball Complex to take on Davenport North at 1 p.m. and West Des Moines Valley at 4:30 p.m. today; the Waterloo East at 9 a.m. and West Liberty at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

“The toughest team down there? Well, they’re all tough,” Bohlen said of what waits his team in Iowa City. “It’s going to be a great test for us.”

After the tournament, Charles City will have a week off before hosting the winner of the Mason City-Decorah first-round game on July 9 in the Class 4A Region 3 bracket.

CHARLES CITY 13, DECORAH 0

Scoring By Innings

CC 535 — 13 8 1

D 000 — 0 1 2

WP — Megan Roethler (CC) 3 IN, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO.

LP — Elizabeth Hartman (D) 3 IN, 8 H, 13 R, 8 ER, 5 BB, 2 SO.

Leading Hitters — Charles City: Sara Martin (2-2, 2 HRs, 6 RBIs), Bailey Mitchell (2-2, 2B, 2 RBIs).

CHARLES CITY 12, DECORAH 0

Scoring By Innings

CC 401 214 — 12 15 1

D 000 000 — 0 1 2

WP — Sami Heyer (CC) 6 IN, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 SO.

LP — Maddie Clement (D) 0.67 IN, 4 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO.

Leading Hitters — Charles City: Bailey Mitchell (3-4, 2B, 2 RBIs), Shae Etherington (3-5, 2 runs scored, RBI, 4 SB), Megan Staudt (2-5, 2 runs scored, RBI, 3 SB), Sara Martin (2-4, 2B, 2 runs scored, RBI), Jamie Sindlinger (2-4, run scored), Payton Reams (2-5, 2 2B, 2 RBIs, run scored).