SOLON — The curtain came down on the regular season last week with doubleheaders against WaMaC East’s West Delaware Hawks (for a pair of losses) and WaMaC West rival Clear Creek Amana (for a pair of wins) while rain foiled the Ottumwa Classic tournament. Regional competition, and the road to Fort Dodge, starts Thursday, July 6. The Lady Spartans finished the 2023 WaMaC East campaign at 13-5/22-13, second to Mount Vernon (14-4/25-9).
West Delaware surprises the Lady Spartans
Solon traveled to West Delaware Monday, June 26 for a WaMaC East double-dip. The Hawks sat in the East basement with no conference wins but swept the Lady Spartans 8-7 and 10-7. Solon put up two runs in the top of the first inning in the opener, but saw the lead evaporate with four Hawks scoring in the bottom of the inning. One Lady Spartan scored in the second, but West Delaware plated two in the third and two in the fourth to go up 8-3. A three-run effort by Solon in the sixth cut the gap, with one more run coming in the seventh.
Addie Miller led with three hits including a pair of homeruns and six RBIs, Mia Stahle and Maddyn Gates belted out two hits apiece with a double for Gates, while Izzy Frees and Kayla Meseck had one hit each with a double for Meseck. Frees took the loss with one inning in the circle giving up two hits and four runs (one earned) and walking two. Kendall Jensen pitched five innings giving up five hits and four unearned runs, walked four and struck out five.
Solon put up three runs in the top of the second in the nightcap but watched four Hawks fly home in the bottom of the inning. One Lady Spartan run in the third tied the game, however a six-run effort by West Delaware in the fifth dug a deep hole. Solon answered with three runs in the sixth but were skunked in the seventh.
Kassidy Lietz produced two hits to lead Solon including a double. Stahle, Claire LaDage, Meseck, and Layla Knazze had one hit each with three RBIs for Knazze, an eighth grader. Emersyn Miller, also an eighth grader, took the loss after four innings in the circle giving up nine hits and eight runs (four earned), and walking three. Jensen pitched two innings giving up three hits and two unearned runs, walking one and striking out two.
Sinking the “Boats” with a sweep
WaMaC West rival Clear Creek Amana (CCA) visited Wednesday, June 28 for a varsity doubleheader and fell 12-11 and 6-4 to Solon.
Six runs in the bottom of the first inning of game one gave Solon a healthy lead over the Clippers, AKA “Boats.” A pair of CCA runs went up in the fourth but five Solon runs stretched the advantage. CCA rallied with four runs in the fifth and five in the sixth to tie but one Solon run in the bottom of the seventh ended the contest.
Mia Stahle delivered three hits including a double and a pair of RBIs to lead Solon. Izzy Frees, Hilary Wilson, and Addie Miller had two hits each with a double and three RBIs for Wilson and two RBIs for Miller. Claire LaDage and Maddyn Gates produced one hit apiece. Frees took the win with two innings in the circle giving up four hits and two runs (one earned), walking one and striking out one while Kendall Jensen pitched five innings giving up seven hits and nine runs (five earned) with five walks and two strikeouts.
The Clippers put up one run in the first and second innings in the nightcap, which was answered by one Solon run in the bottom of the second and two in the fourth. One run in the fifth made it 4-2 for Solon before one Clipper scored in the sixth. Two more Solon runs provided cushion as CCA plated one in the seventh.
Stahle led with three hits, Gates and Kassidy Lietz produced two hits each with a pair of doubles for eighth grader Gates. Frees and Miller had one hit each. Gates went the distance giving up five hits and four runs (two earned), walking three and striking out seven.
Regional competition starts Thursday, July 6, with revenge on their minds
Solon (22-13) hosts West Delaware (15-19) in the first round of Class 3A Regional play Thursday at 7:00 p.m. The Lady Spartans were ranked ninth by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union in their June 22nd rankings while West Delaware was unranked. Also in action Thursday night, No. 6 Wahlert Catholic hosts North Fayette Valley, Waukon hosts Crestwood, and Monticello hosts rival Anamosa in a Jones County battle.
The winners meet 7:00 p.m. Saturday, July 8 in the Region 7 semifinals with Solon as a host site while the Regional Final is set for Tuesday, July 11 at the highest remaining ranked team’s site with a trip to the 2023 State Softball Tournament on the line.
WaMaC East standings
Conf. Overall
Mount Vernon 14-4 25-10
Solon 13-5 22-13
Marion 10-10 15-19
Independence 8-10 15-20
West Delaware 0-4 15-19

Gallery • 11 Photos

Becky Holub • Contributed Photo

A Clipper decides to stay put as McKenna Rogers (6) makes an easy out during a varsity doubleheader with Clear Creek Amana Wednesday, June 28.