The Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk softball team continued their mastery of River Valley Conference foes Wednesday, whipping the West Branch Bears in both ends of a doubleheader in Kalona. The Golden Hawks took game one 13-1. Mid-Prairie did their work early, sending 11 to the plate in the first, scoring five times on two hits with runs from Dakota Mitchell, Brenna Jehle, Sophie Miller, Hannah Sellers and Olivia Swartzentruber, on hits from Miller and Sellers with an RBI for Sellers. The Hawks went all the way through the order again in the third, without the benefit of a hit, as Jehle, Swartzentruber, Madeline Schrader and Molly Yoder all reached and scored through three hit batters, two walks and a Bears error. West Branch got their lone tally in the top of the fourth, and the Mid-Prairie answer was swift, and final. The Hawks loaded the bases on two walks and a hit batter, and Jehle cleared them with one swing, blasting a walk-off grand slam for the mercy rule win. She talked with KCII Sports on the postgame show about her night at the plate, what she was looking for, and how the homer felt. Jehle said, “We knew we were going to have to go up there and time it. We always say score first, score last. I got up there with an 0-2 count, I knew I needed to hit the ball, just contact. I timed it right and it worked. It feels really good. I knew it was deep but I didn’t think it was going out. Heck yeah!”

Mid-Prairie finished with 13 runs on just four hits as West Branch starter Tori Vickel walked four hitters and hit seven. Jehle’s four RBI led the way for the Hawks, as did her three runs scored. Mitchell and Sydney Knebel each had an RBI. Seven of the nine in the starting lineup scored at least once. Knebel got the shortened win in the circle, four frames, three hits, one unearned run and five strikeouts. The nightcap was a 12-0 Golden Hawk wire to wire winner. The Hawks batted around in the first, scoring four times on just one hit against Bears starter Emalyn Poe. Mitchell, Jehle, Miller, and Sellers all scored with the big blow an RBI triple from Jehle. Mid-Prairie put two more up in the second with Miller and Sellers scoring and Sellers supplying the run scoring single to make it 6-0. A three spot in the third made it 9-0 on runs from Mitchell, Jehle and Miller with doubles from Mitchell and Jehle. The Hawks finished the game early with three more in the fourth as Swartzentruber, Brooklyn Schneider and Yoder all scored, the winner on a wild pitch, to send everyone home early.

In the nightcap, seven of the nine in the lineup scored at least once. Jehle had two hits, two driven in and two runs scored. Sellers, Knebel and Mitchell each had an RBI. Miller, Mitchell and Sellers each scored twice. Kadence Grout collected the win, working four innings, giving up three hits, no runs, two walks and had three strikeouts. The Golden Hawks beat the Bears by a combined 25-1 score and are 4-0 in the River Valley overall, with all four games decided by the mercy rule and a 48-5 margin. Mid-Prairie is 6-1 on the season, with a trip to Tipton Thursday.