Photo Courtesy of Jeff Yoder

After a tough weekend against strong competition, the Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk softball team got the Monday bounce-back they needed, putting together a road River Valley Conference sweep of rival Durant on the Wildcat’s Senior Night, 8-1 and 2-1. The opener saw the Hawks play one of their more complete games of the season in the seven run win. They grabbed an early lead in the second when Sydney Knebel singled to start the frame, then a Kadence Grout base hit put runners on the corners ahead of a Madeline Schrader RBI single that scored Brooklyn Schneider to make it 1-0. The big inning was the third. The Golden Hawks sent 11 to the plate and scored seven times on seven hits. Brenna Jehle doubled twice in the same frame and knocked in three, Hannah Sellers, Knebel, Grout, and Schrader also had RBI hits while Dakota Mitchell, Jehle, Sellers, Schneider, Grout, Schrader and Molly Yoder all scored a run. Durant broke through with an unearned run in the fifth to avoid the shutout. The Hawks finished with 13 hits as a team. Seven of the nine in the Mid-Prairie order had a hit and six of the nine scored a run. Jehle led the way at the plate going three for four with three RBI. The Mid-Prairie defense executed a pair of rundowns between third and home to save runs, turned a 1-2-3 double play and made several highlight level defensive plays. Knebel got the win in the circle, throwing a complete game with no earned runs, six hits and four strikeouts.

In the nightcap the pitching and defense were on display. Golden Hawk starter Grout and Wildcat hurler Allison Toft matched each other zero for zero through five, each stranding four runners. Mid-Prairie broke through in the sixth against the eighth grader, with one out, Sellers singled, followed by a Knebel double, driving in Sellers to get the Hawks on the board and an Olivia Swartzentruber base hit brought in Anna Flynn to make it 2-0. In the bottom half, Durant pushed the Hawks to the brink. The Wildcats loaded the bases with no one out on a single and a pair of walks. That saw Grout exit the game for Knebel, who worked through the jam allowing just one run, on a wild pitch, as she struck out the side to preserve the advantage at 2-1. Still up a single run in the seventh, Knebel finished the six out save and gave the Hawks the sweep. After the game, Golden Hawk head coach Amy Hartsock-Williams highlighted Knebel, Jehle, and Grout. “We were disciplined, waiting on that good pitch, yet attacking first pitch strike when we needed to. We didn’t wait for them to spin it later on in the count. We got big hits with runners in scoring position. Brenna (Jehle) on the hot corner was a wall. She was taking shots tonight, making backhands, throwing on the run, she played a great defensive game. Sydney (Knebel) was working ahead on every batter and then we could work a lot of spin later in the count. Kadence Grout was mentally tough. She did a great job of working ahead. She did have a few walks, but always got refocused. She kept batters off balance. I’m really happy with her performance tonight.”

Mid-Prairie out hit Durant 9-3 in the night cap. Mitchell was three for four, Knebel and Swartzentruber each had an RBI. Grout got the win, giving up one run in five innings, Knebel recorded a save, giving up just one hit in two frames. The sweep moves Mid-Prairie to 14-16 this year, 11-6 in the RVC ahead of a Wednesday date with rival Washington on the road.