TIFFIN — The Solon Lady Spartans ended their season with a second round playoff loss in Tiffin July 11 as Clear Creek Amana (CCA) took an early lead en route a 9-3 win.
Sophomore pitcher Beckitt Kabela had allowed less than 1.5 walks per seven innings all season, but struggled with control right away putting a pair of Clippers on base and allowing an infield single. Solon almost got out of the inning, but a passed ball plated a run and CCA led 1-0 after an inning. Things got worse in the second as the CCA put three runners on by hits, and two more on walks leaving the bases loaded with two out and a 3-0 Clipper advantage. Kabela would leave and Zoey Melloy would enter the circle. Melloy would get the final out, but not before allowing a two run double and CCA lead 5-0 after two.
Solon would rally, however. Freshman Maddie Bell’s liner to right went under the outfielder’s glove for a triple to lead off the third and she scored on a Beckett Kruse sacrifice fly. The Lady Spartans would score two more runs in fourth after Melloy retired the Clippers in order in the third. Kabela singled and went to third on Chloe Madura’s double. Senior Dillon Ostrander’s infield hit would plate Kabela, and Madura scored as well when Ostrander attempted a steal and the Clippers threw down to second base making the score 5-3. A pair of strikeouts would end the rally, and Solon would not score again in the game. CCA would add four runs in the fifth inning to close the scoring.
Ostrander finished her Solon career with a second hit in the seventh inning and a career high .294 season batting average. She tied for the team lead in hits (35) with Kabela and Liv Nelson. Ashtyn Swancutt (8th grade) had a hit in the game and led the Lady Spartans with a .333 batting average this year. Cleanup hitter Kabela led the team in RBI with 25 and Nelson led team in runs scored with 31.
Solon used four pitchers this season, all posting more than 50 innings. Junior Emerson Miller led the team with eight wins and junior Laeni Hinkle led in ERA (3.61). The Lady Spartans end 2026 with an 18-21 record, but return every starter and key player other than Ostrander, who moves on to Mt Mercy University this fall. CCA moved their record to 26-11 and hosted Xavier in a regional final July 14.
Lady Spartans softball starts postseason with win
Solon 6 Maquoketa 2
Solon hosted a first round regional playoff game Thursday, July 9, versus Maquoketa winning 6-2. The Lady Spartans jumped out to a 2-0 first inning lead when Laeni Hinkle walked, Liv Nelson singled and Beckitt Kabela delivered a two-RBI single. Despite a 1-8 season record, Kabela took the circle for Solon and shut down the Cardinals for four innings, allowing only one hit and an unearned run.
Solon added to their lead in the third inning when Ashlyn Swancutt doubled, Nelson advanced her to third on an infield hit, and Kabela’s sacrifice fly made the score 3-0. Maquoketa would answer in the fourth with Hadley Ihrig’s leadoff double. Kabela appeared to work out of the inning, but a two out routine grounder was mishandled, and Maquoketa cut the lead to 3-1.
Zoey Melloy would relieve Kabela in the fifth inning. She would allow Ihrig’s sixth homer of the season in the sixth inning cutting the lead to 3-2, but the Lady Spartans would put the game away in the home half of the inning.
Chloe Madura led off with a single and went to second on Dillon Ostrander’s sacrifice. Pinch-hitter Emerson Miller then delivered an RBI single, and Solon was feeling a win within reach. Laeni Hinkle’s two-run single pushed the lead to 6-2 and essentially slammed the door as Melloy would allow only an infield hit in the seventh and the Lady Spartans celebrated a win in their last home game of the year.
Kabela ran her record to 2-8 and dropped her ERA to 3.77. Melloy picked up her first save to go with her 4-3 record. Solon ran their record to 18-20 while Maquoketa dropped to 13-27.
Stats
Hits – Liv Nelson 2, Ashtyn Swancutt 1, Laeni Hinkle 1, Beckitt Kabela 1, Chloe Madura 1, Emerson Miller 1, Beckett Kruse 1, Kinley Strief 1
2B – Swancutt 1, Nelson 1
RBI – Kabela 3, Hinkle 2, Miller 1
SAC – Dillon Ostrander 1, Strief 1
Pitching – Kabela (W) 4 innings, 54 pitches, 0 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts. Zoey Melloy 3 innings, 30 pitches, 2 hits, 1 earned run, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts
Solon drops final regular season game to West Liberty
Comets 7 Lady Spartans 3
Solon travelled to West Liberty Monday, July 6, wrapping up their regular season with a 7-3 loss to the Comets, ranked #9 in Class 3A. Solon got off to rough start as West Liberty rapped three doubles in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead off Lady Spartan pitcher Laeni Hinkle.
Hinkle would settle down in the second with a one, two, three inning and Solon’s Ashtyn Swancutt walked and scored on Liv Nelson’s sacrifice bunt to make the game 2-1 going into the bottom of the third. West Liberty struck again, however, with a homer, two walks and two singles knocking Hinkle out of the game and leaving a one out bases loaded jam for Beckitt Kabela. The sophomore would get a pop out and strike out to end the inning but not before a passed ball would make the score 5-1 for West Liberty.
Senior center fielder Dillon Ostrander was Solon’s offensive star for the game. She would lead off the fourth inning with a single later scoring on a passed ball and lead off the sixth with a triple and then scoring on Emerson Miller’s sacrifice fly. Ostrander had three of Solon’s six hits for the game.
Kabela would allow a pair of runs in fifth inning and Zoey Melloy would throw a clean sixth inning, but Solon could not score in the seventh. Solon dropped to 17-20, while West Liberty claimed their 17th win against 12 losses.
Stats
Hits – Dillon Ostrander 3, Laeni Hinkle 1, Layla Knazze 1, Kinley Strief 1
3B – Ostrander 1
RBI – Liv Nelson 1, Emerson Miller 1
SAC – Nelson 1, Strief 1
Pitching – Hinkle (L) 2.1 innings, 45 pitches, 6 hits, 5 runs (4 earned), 2 walks, 1 strikeout. Beckitt Kabela 2.2 innings, 43 pitches, 3 hits, 2 earned runs, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts. Zoey Melloy 1 inning, 13 pitches, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 1 strikeout.