The degree of difficulty has been turned up for No. 4 (3A) Mount Vernon softball.
Every week brings a new batch of ranked teams.
“It has just been fun as a team to come together and beat the good teams,” junior Olivia Haverback said. “We know we can. We just have to play together as a team to make that happen.”
This past week, the fourth-ranked Mustangs split with No. 2 Benton Community on Wednesday, June 19, in Van Horne.
Mount Vernon won the opener, 2-1, in a steady drizzle.
Freshman Hayden Gookin opened the game with a double, and her sister Addison Gookin drew a walk. Haverback bunted them both over, and Kenna Rollinger brought them (courtesy runner Kara Swantz and Addison Gookin) home with a single.
The bottom of the first was almost a disaster.
Bobcat leadoff hitter Emma Thownsley walked, and moved to second after Hannah Greiner was hit by a pitch. But Ana Glawe’s single to left field turned into the first out when Mount Vernon left fielder Haverback threw Townsley out at the plate.
“I heard Elsa (Appleton) yelling ‘four, four, four!’” Haverback said. “And I look and see the girl rounding third and I thought, I’ve just got to get it in and I know Kenna (Rollinger) will put a great tag on her.”
The Bobcats did plate one on a sacrifice fly … their only run of the game.
Benton had limited opportunities the final six innings. Gookin had six strikeouts, but was helped by a nimble defense.
“The kids were locked in,” Mount Vernon coach Robin Brand said. “They were very confident going in. We knew we could get a game or two, and they all played their part.”
The Mustangs did leave 11 runners on base. That included leaving the bases loaded three times (the second inning, fourth and sixth).
“We know a win is a win, but we don’t want to settle for leaving so many people on base,” Haverback said. “We could’ve made it a bigger game with more runs, but a win is a win.”
Benton won the nightcap, 10-1. Eighth-grade pitcher Brynnlee Seeck limited the Mustangs to three hits.
The week started with a pair of wins over Vinton-Shellsburg, 3-0 and 1-0, on Monday, June 17, at Van Metre Field.
“Monday was really helpful,” Haverback said. “We played a really great game and our defense was on point.”
The week ended with three wins at the Linn-Mar/Alburnett Tournament. The Mustangs started with a 6-0 win over Iowa City High, then beat Class 5A No. 6 Muscatine, 6-4, and topped Class 4A No. 3 Fort Dodge, 2-1.
The tournament ended with a loss to Class 5A No. 4 Pleasant Valley, 13-3, in the championship.
“In however many years we’ve been going to (that tournament), we’ve never made it to the championship,” Brand said. “It was just outstanding the way our kids played.”
During the weekend, freshman Hayden Gookin smashed her school-record-setting 10th home run of the season. Brand said the entire team was locked in.
“I kept telling them you can do this,” Brand said. “Some kids went above and beyond and made some outstanding plays.”
GAME ONE
Mount Vernon 200 000 0 – 2 7 1
Benton Comm. 100 000 0 – 1 3 0
Hayden Gookin and Kenna Rollinger; Jessa DeMoss and Ana Glawe. W – Gookin. L – DeMoss. 2B – Hayden Gookin (MV). Abbie Moss (MV).