SOLON — The Lady Spartans’ season opened on a sour note Monday, May 23 as Maquoketa’s Cardinals flew away with a doubleheader sweep, knocking off Solon 8-6 and 9-5.
Game one opened with three Solon runs in the bottom of the first inning, but the red birds answered with four in the top of the second. Two runs in the bottom of the second gave Solon a 5-4 lead, which held until the top of the fifth when Maquoketa plated two runners. A Solon run in the bottom of the fifth tied the game 6-6, but two more Cardinals scored in the sixth for the win.
Hillary Wilson (two, with one double), McKenna Rogers, Addie Miller (homerun and one RBI), Carly Ellison, and Izzy Frees produced six hits. Kendall Jensen took the loss after going the distance in the circle. Jensen gave up 11 hits and eight runs (six earned), walked two, and struck out four.
The Cardinals opened the nightcap with two runs in the top of the first. Solon responded with one run in the bottom of the second, and three in the third for a 4-2 lead. Maquoketa plated one runner in the fourth, but a Solon run in the bottom of the inning kept the Lady Spartans ahead 5-3 until the top of the fifth when the red birds scored two runs to tie the game 5-5. The stalemate lasted for four innings until Maquoketa scored four runs in the tenth for the win.
Solon put up ten hits from Ava Stebral (two, with an RBI), Frees (two, with a double and two RBIs), Rogers, Wilson, Miller (one RBI), Meghan O’Neil (one RBI), Tiffany Primmer, and Bailey Woolley. Frees took the loss after ten innings in the circle. She surrendered 13 hits, nine runs (seven earned), walked one, and struck out one.