Comets get back on track with 10-3 win over Chickasaws

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — Dropping six straight games after winning their season-opener, the Charles City Comets got back in the win column when defeating New Hampton 10-3 in Northeast Iowa Conference softball action Thursday at the Comet Sports Complex.

On a night where their bats came to life, every Comet in the starting lineup recorded at least one hit while putting some of those hits together for 4-run rallies in the third and fourth innings while taking a 10-1 lead.

That was more than enough for Comet freshman pitcher Keely Anderegg to protect as she went the distance while striking out a varsity career-high 12 batters — some swinging before the ball reached the plate as Anderegg stymied the Chickasaws with her change-up throughout the game.

After avoiding the 10-run rule in the fourth and fifth innings with a Comet runner on third base threatening to score the game-ending run, New Hampton was able to score 2 unearned runs off Anderegg and the Comets in the seventh inning but couldn’t pull any closer.

The Comets were up 2-1 through two innings before breaking the game open in the bottom of the third thanks to their No. 8 and No. 9 hitters as sophomore Payton Hadley clubbed a two-out, two-strike, 2-RBI double followed by sophomore Mya Rimrod hitting a two-out, two-strike RBI single.

Both Hadley and Rimrod had two hits from the bottom of the order with the top of Charles City’s order also having a productive night with sophomore leadoff hitter Emerson Bohlen driving in a pair of runs with a pair of singles, and junior Lauren Staudt going 2 for 3 with a double.

Charles City eighth-grader Edie Collins was 2 for 3 with an RBI double and a Javy Baez-like run scored — Collins scored on a safety-squeeze bunt by senior Delaney Ruzicka while circling around the would-be tag of NH’s catcher amidst her head-first slide.

Ava Ellis was 2 for 4, and Alex Wohlers doubled for the Comets (2-6, 1-2 NEIC), who will travel to West Union this weekend for a two-day tournament.

Senior Kadie Eggerich was 2 for 2 with a double, and sophomore leadoff hitter Cora Schwickerath was 2 for 4 for New Hampton (2-2, 1-2).

* Two days before at Waverly-Shell Rock, Charles City suffered a pair of 1-run losses in a doubleheader against the Go-Hawks. Alex Wohlers was 2 for 3 in the first game (2-1), and Ava Ellis was 3 for 3 with a solo home run in the second game (5-4).