CLARINDA – After several innings of getting runners into scoring position but not being able to cross home plate, Atlantic’s softball team finally got the breaks they needed against Clarinda.
The home run bats of Lila Wiederstein and Zoey Kirchhoff provided the answer.
Wiederstein’s two-run home run in the fifth inning helped cap a four-run rally to give the Trojans a 4-2 lead.
After a Cardinals’ rally to tie the game at 4-apiece, Kirchoff blasted a three-run shot in the top of the seventh to make it a five-run game, and the outcome was assured in a 9-4 come-from-behind road victory over the Iowa Class 3A No. 7 Cardinals.
It’s a season sweep for the Trojans after the Cardinals dogged them all of last year, including last year’s Class 3A regional semifinal on the Cardinals’ home field.
Clarinda grabbed the early 2-0 lead on single runs in the first and third, as Cardinal starter Mallory Woods kept the Trojans off the scorebook with key outs.
But the Trojans put an end to that in the fifth inning, when Claire Schroder and Jillian Saathoff had back-to-back RBI singles. Makenna Schroeder reached on an error, and Wiederstein then stroked the bat for a two-run home run to make it 4-2.
“Lila getting the longballs and getting the runs across, which we had trouble doing in the early innings to break open the scoring,” said Trojan coach Terry Hinzmann. “The bats came alive after the more disciplined approaches at the plate, I thought, in the last three innings and we were able to score enough runs.
“What a great performance for her, going 4-for-4 and the home run and four RBIs,” he continued. “She was pretty excited about her evening.”
Neither team threatened until the bottom of the sixth, when Woods got a two-run RBI to make it a 4-4 ballgame.
Atlantic had none of that, as the Trojans put up five runs in the seventh. With two runners on, Wiederstein drove home Alivia Knuth, and it was a 5-4 game. With one out, Kirchhoff them struck with her three-run home run to make it 8-4, and the scoring wasn’t done yet as Dylin Ball reached on a walk and scored on Schroder’s RBI double.
“Both Lila and Zoey came through, and the fact we were able to get runners across,” said Hinzmann. “We had a lot of resiliency from the girls, especially against a ranked team. They were able to shake (the early deficit) off and secure the victory.”
Clarinda opened the bottom of the seventh by getting a baserunner, but Kirchhoff coaxed a double play to get two outs, and then a strikeout ended the game.
Atlantic finished with 12 hits, with Wiederstein going a perfect 4-for-4 with two doubles, a triple and a home run. Ball and Schroeder each had two hits and Kirchhoff the three RBIs. Kirchhoff finised with a six-hitter, striking out seven and giving up three walks.
“You talk about the pitching performance she had, keeping the Cardinal team off balance pretty much all night, and giving up really just one solid hit all night,” said Hinzmann. “The rest of the hits were bloops or seeing-eye singles, so she had a real gutty performance for her in the circle.”
Atlantic is ahead of Clarinda in both the Hawkeye Ten Conference standings as well as GoBound Iowa’s Class 3A power rankings.
The Trojans were home Thursday night against Red Oak, in a doubleheader that was pushed to 6:30 p.m. because of anticipated severe weather. A date at West Des Moines Dowling was to follow on Friday.