Photos Courtesy of Jeff Yoder

Neither wind, nor rain nor the River Valley South leading Durant Wildcats could stop the Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk softball team Thursday as they scored a signature win over the No. 13 team in Class 2A on the road 8-5. The Hawks were on the board first when Dakota Mitchell led off the game with a single and came home on a Sophie Miller RBI knock to make it 1-0. The Wildcats countered in the bottom half, sending eight to the plate and scoring three times on three hits. Mid-Prairie drew even in the third with a pair of runs as Mitchell started the rally again, tripling to lead off the frame, followed by a Gabi Robertson infield single. With two outs Brenna Jehle delivered an RBI hit, then Robertson came home on a Wildcat throwing error to tie the game. At 3-3 after four, the rains came to Durant, sending the contest into a 63 minute weather delay. Out of the stoppage, the Hawks took control with a Robertson triple to left. She raced home on a wild pitch on the next offering to give Mid-Prairie the lead for good at 4-3 through five.

Rain descended on Durant for a second time after the fifth, sending the contest into a second weather delay totaling 38 minutes. The Hawks got two runs each in their next two at bats to build a substantial lead. In the sixth, Kyla Karnes reached on a fielder’s choice and Olivia Swartzentruber singled ahead of a clutch Mitchell two out triple, her second three-bagger of the night, to stretch the lead to 6-3. Mid-Prairie made it 8-3 with a pair unearned runs in the seventh when Miller and Jehle scored on wild pitches after reaching on errors. Durant didn’t go quietly. Down to their final three outs, the Wildcats scored twice, loading the bases and bringing the winning run to the plate with no one out, but with Kadence Grout in the circle, the Golden Hawk defense worked through it with a strikeout and two infield outs to secure the win. After the victory, the KCII Golden Hawks of the game, Mitchell and Robertson joined the postgame show live to talk about the night and the win.

Mitchell said, “On my first triple, I was thinking ‘Just sit back and wait on it’. I don’t usually pull the ball. I was really happy that I did on that one. The second triple, she definitely helped me out a little bit. She would have caught it if she had a little bit more momentum. I just put my wheels on and ran! Coach said, ‘These are the Golden Hawks that I’ve been looking for! That I know are in it!’ This felt like our team!”

Robertson said, “Mine was the same way. We were just coming back from the rain delay, so I was a little bit nervous at the plate. The infield was playing in on me, so I was like ‘I just have to hit it!’ Then she tried to make the same diving play and missed it. I just kept going. I knew we needed that run in case there was another lightning delay. This was really big for us. I think we went into this game dead and the rain delays helped us get pumped up.”

Those two at the top of the lineup accounted for five hits, including three triples, three RBI and two runs scored. Miller and Jehle each added an RBI, and Miller, Jehle, Morgyn Bender, Grout, Kyla Karnes and Olivia Swartzentruber each had a knock, as the Hawks out hit Durant 11-9. Grout got the win in the circle, going the distance, allowing nine hits and five earned runs with three walks and a K. Mid-Prairie is now 5-8 on the year, 4-6 in the RVC as Durant falls to 12-9. The Hawks travel to Fort Dodge next for a weekend tournament.