It was a rivalry doubleheader, and a WaMaC twinbill, to boot. On Thursday, May 29, Mount Vernon swept the Spartans 10-6 and 9-8 in Solon.

“Solon is always going to bring their best against us,” Mount Vernon coach Robin Brand said. “We looked really good. We hit the ball well and ran the bases well. The kids stayed calm and collected and stayed fired up.”

In the first game the Mustangs had 16 hits. Freshman Sophia Patten hit a double and a home run with two RBIs. Senior Libby Dix added a double.

In the second game, Mount Vernon scored three in the top of the sixth inning and led, 9-4, but Solon scored four in the bottom of the seventh to almost come from behind.

“They didn’t panic,” Brand said. “They were loose and confident and went out there and got the job done.”

Senior Olivia Haverback had three hits in Game 2. Sophomore Hayden Gookin had a double and a home run and senior Abbie Moss had a home run.

Brand said she was impressed by sophomore Brynlee Bettcher taking over at catcher and Patten hitting a home run in her first at bat.

The Mustangs opened the season with an 8-0 win at Central DeWitt on Monday, May 26. Gookin pitched a three-hitter, striking out 10. That put her over 400 strikeouts in her career.

“For her to be a sophomore and do that is incredible,” Brand said.

Gookin pitched on a broken foot at the end of the 2024 season, and had offseason surgery.

“She’s been very committed to the process,” Brand said. “She did everything she could to get ready. She had a great mindset to come back just as strong.”

Offensively, Moss hit 3-for-3 with two runs scored and sophomore Rylee Rasmussen and junior Carly Elliott each had two hits.