Cadets hold off seventh-inning threat to sweep Comets

By John Burbridge 

sports@charlescitypress.com 

CHARLES CITY — If you have the power to take it out of the park, then — essentially — you’re in scoring position whenever you step up to the plate. 

Charles City senior Payton Hadley was in such a position when she stepped up to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh while representing the tying run in the nightcap of Tuesday’s Northeast Iowa Conference softball doubleheader against visiting Crestwood. 

Earlier in the first game, Hadley would have cleared the fence with her deep drive to left-centerfield in the third inning had it not been for a healthy breeze coming in from the northwest knocking it down enough for a deep out. 

But with the breeze having since dissipated with the Cadets up 6-2 after taking a 6-1 lead going into the half frame while pursuing a DH sweep, a similar deep drive by Hadley would likely tie the game. 

Instead, Hadley hit a hot grounder headed for the hole between the third baseman and shortstop only to have it strike a Comet baserunner resulting in the game-ending out — though Hadley was credited with a single. 

In both Cadet wins (8-3, 6-2), they jumped out to 4-0 leads in the first inning. Mackenzie Gallagher’s 3-run home run accounted for much of the scoring in the first inning of the first game for Crestwood, which improved to 9-2 overall while remaining undefeated (4-0) in the NEIC. 

Comet freshman Jaeda Molstead was 2 for 3 with a double and 2 runs scored in the first game, and doubled again in the second game; freshman Jacy Hall and eighth-grader Ali Shirley both went 2 for 3 with RBIs in the first game; and eighth-grader Lexan Joslin had an RBI in the second game for Charles City (6-7, 1-2). 

Crestwood sophomore Ainsley Teeling and junior Kierman Ruppert were complete-game winners in games one and two, respectively, with Comet counterparts Joslin and freshman Lily Herman each going the seven-inning distance. 

Charles City was without the services of freshman ace Addison Ellis, who is splitting playing time this season with the Top Gun 16U-SKIM softball team based in Kansas City. Top Gun is an elite softball program comprised of topnotch players from multiple states that competes at the national level. 

After Thursday’s away NEIC game against Waukon, the Comets will be back in action next Tuesday (June 17) when they host Decorah with the first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m.