No. 8 Interstate 35 brought the fun, the props, and a Class 2A Top 10 ranking 175 miles to visit No. 4 Mount Vernon on Friday, June 7.
The Mustangs countered with a some fun and props of their own, plus 15 strikeouts by freshman pitcher Hayden Gookin. Mount Vernon won, 3-1.
“It is awesome playing them,” Gookin said of I-35, from Truro, located south of Des Moines on, you guessed it, Interstate 35. “They bring high energy. We played them last year and they had intense props, so we ran to Party City and got our own props.”
A few tiaras and noisemakers had the Mustangs laughing most of the night.
“These guys are never at a loss for fun,” Mount Vernon coach Robin Brand said. “They enjoy themselves, and they get along great together.”
The Roadrunners played at Mount Vernon last summer on the night before the Cedar Rapids Jefferson Cabin Classic, and wanted to do it again this year.
“We appreciated the game, because it is a weekend off for us,” Brand said.
Gookin made it less fun for the Roadrunners, striking out nine of the first 11 I35 batters she faced.
She eventually ended up with 15 strikeouts.
“I try to get the highest number I can,” Gookin said of the Ks. Of course, that may leave fewer opportunities for the Mustang defense. “They joke, let them hit, we’re bored.”
Mount Vernon (15-2) was able to play relaxed after scoring twice in the bottom of the first inning. Catcher Kenna Rollinger had a two-run double to plate Addison Gookin and Olivia Haverback.
Interstate 35 pitcher Allyce Phillips pretty much kept the Mustangs in check after that. Mount Vernon did add an insurance run in the fifth inning, with No. 9 hitter Abbie Moss reaching on a hit, and then scoring on a single by Haverback.
But the insurance wasn’t needed. Gookin improved to 10-1 and lowered her ERA to 0.37 with the shutout win.
“I’ve definitely improved a lot,” Gookin said, looking back at her eighth-grade season when she went 18-5 with a 1.24 ERA and 149 strikeouts in 152 innings. “As an eighth grader, I feel that I was nervous, that there was more pressure on me. Now that I’ve got a year in the books, its more about having fun, and knowing I can do better.”
Brand said it helps she has an experienced catcher in Rollinger, and a solid defense backing her up.
“She’s kind of figured out what high school softball is all about,” Brand said. “She’s as competitive as they come. She hates to lose more than she likes to win. One of those kids.
“When she steps up to the mound, she knows what the job is.”
In other action during the week, Mount Vernon split with Center Point-Urbana, 2-0 and 2-0, on Monday, June 3, and swept Marion on Wednesday, June 5, 13-1 and 10-5.
This week features a twinbill with Clear Creek Amana on Monday, June 10, and a trip to top-ranked Williamsburg on Wednesday, June 12.
“Our entire conference, we’ve got really good teams in 3A and 4A,” Brand said. “They just keep getting better. They all do. On any given night, you have to be ready. Our conference is just that tough.”
In the 2-0 win over CPU, Gookin pitched a 3-hitter, striking out 12. Rollinger hit 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.
In the 2-0 loss, CPU sophomore pitcher Ella Simon held the Mustangs to five hits and zero runs. Haverback hit two doubles.
The Marion doubleheader was an odd one. The team witnessed a traffic accident on the way to the game, then the start was delayed for 45 minutes because an umpire arrived late.
The Mustang bats powered up for 18 hits over the two games, with home runs from Addison Gookin, Hayden Gookin and Rylee Rasmussen.
Interstate 35 000 000 0 – 0 4 1
Mount Vernon 200 010 x – 3 4 0
Allyse Phillips and Trinity Darst; Hayden Gookin and Kenna Rollinger. W – Gookin. L – Phillips. 2B – Kenna Rollinger (MV), Trinity Darst (I35), Gracie Kirk (I35).