Comets fight back, but can’t get DH sweep over Vikings

By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

DECORAH — There have been boxers who have gotten up off the canvas after a “9 count” before turning the fight around on way to victory.

The Charles City Comets were able to recover from a “9 count” —having 9 runs scored against them in the second inning of the second game of Thursday’s Northeast Iowa Conference doubleheader against Decorah — eventually tying the Vikings and seemed poised for a comeback win to complete what would have been a third DH sweep in as many days.

But Decorah managed to score 3 runs in the bottom of the sixth for the margin of victory in the second game (12-9), after Charles City won the first (11-1).

In the first game, the Class 4A No. 3-ranked Comets got a pair of 2-run homers from graduated senior Tayler Schmidt and incoming freshman Ashlyn Hoeft.

For Schmidt, who also doubled in a run in the first game, it was her team leading 10th of the season.

For Hoeft, who also singled, it was her third.

Comet leadoff hitter Lisabeth Fiser was 4 for 4 in the first game, and had three hits in the second. Fiser also had seven stolen bases and scored 5 runs in the DH.

Kelby Katcher had a pair of doubles and a RBI; Payton Reams singled and doubled; and Cora Crooks had two singles and a RBI for Charles City in the first game.

Sami Heyer went once through the lineup while pitching 3 innings of scoreless and hitless ball before Schmidt relieved her in the fourth and finished the first game that lasted six innings.

In the second game after Charles City took a 2-0 lead in the top half of the first, the Vikings’ offense exploded in the second as they send 12 batters to the plate and pounded out 10 hits.

Avery Shelton had two of those hits during the barrage, including a 2-run homer. Ambra Pipho and Victoria MIller also had two hits during the rally.

But the Comets, behind the long-relief effort of Schmidt, who was backed by some stellar defense from third baseman Ciana Sonberg (diving stop of a hard hit ball from Ella Kittelson) and shortstop Maddie Peters (utilizing a Don Kessinger-like boarding house reach to snare a grounder hit deep in the hole from Hailey Nierling and the long, strong good throw to nip her at first), held the Vikings scoreless for the next three innings while their offense began to chip into the deficit.

Reams clubbed a solo homer in the fifth inning to pull Charles City within 3 (9-6) before her RBI single in the sixth tied it at 9.

Comet incoming freshman Rachel Chambers had two hits in the second game.

With the DH split, Charles City is 30-3 overall while capping its NEIC record at 16-2. With their DH sweep of New Hampton the night before, the Comets outright clinched their second-straight conference title.

Decorah, with a NEIC doubleheader against Waverly-Shell Rock on Monday (July 2), is nowa 9-17 and 4-12.