Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids hosted Holy Trinity Catholic and Hillcrest Academy high school softball teams Thursday.
The Super Conference cross-divisional game at a neutral site provided a wonderful venue and great experience for everyone to play on a collegiate turf field.
The two teams had played at Kalona earlier this season and HTC needed two run in the seventh inning for a 4-3 win.
The Crusaders had a great start Thursday with a Kenna Gittings home run and a great ending with six runs in the fifth inning to end the game early with a 10-1 victory.
Alivia Holmes led off the HTC great start with a double that put her on third base with a Ravens error. Sydney Jarvis, who is fourth in the state regardless of class in runs batted in, hit a double that brought Holmes home.
With the count at no balls and one strike, Gittings ripped a shot to right field and just kept running for an inside-the-park home run. The Crusaders led 3-0.
Sydney Jarvis pitched for HTC and walked three in the first inning that ended with a three-pitch strikeout.
HTC’s Morgan Krogmeier drew a walk to start the second inning, advanced on Ellie Hellman’s sacrifice bunt and scored on Holmes’ second hit of the game.
Jarvis walked a batter and gave up a single in the second inning but escaped without a run.
HTC went down in order in the third but Jarvis faced just three batters after hitting the leadoff in the bottom of the inning due to an unassisted double play by Emily Ross.
HTC Hellman walks in the fourth but was the only base runner.
Holmes got things started in the fifth inning with a single, followed by a Makayla Simpson single, an intentional walk to Jarvis, an RBI single by Ross, a two-run double by Gittings, an error on a Cadyn Holmes hit, and a Krogmeier single that made the score 9-0 before the first out. Holmes would steal third base and home for the 10th run.
Jarvis took to the circle and hit a Raven with the first pitch of the bottom of the fifth inning. A single followed, then a fielder’s choice scored a run. Losing pitcher Malia Yoder hit a single but Jarvis induced a ground out, then issued a walk then a pop out ended the game.
Hillcrest is 10-12. HTC is 15-7 and played Mount Pleasant at South Park in West Point. It is Senior Night so Emily Ross will be feted.
Ross currently has a .296 batting average with seven doubles, 11 RBI and a .387 on base percentage. She had 10 doubles, two home runs and 19 RBI last season when she batted .519 and had an on-base percentage of .581 and led the team in total bases with 44 and RBIs with 19 and slugging percentage at .815.