The Eagle Grove Eagles baseball and softball teams made a triumphant return to the field as they hosted the West Hancock Eagles at Greenwood Park last Wednesday evening, for what turned out to be a thrilling Top of Iowa West Conference showdown. The boys took the field with a 9-7 record, while the girls started with a 9-8 record.
Things didn't start out looking very good for the Eagle Grove boys, who found themselves down by 6 halfway through the third inning, with West Hancock leading with 9 to Eagle Grove's 3. But then the home town boys lit their bats ablaze, and came out swatting in the fourth inning with an offensive rally that evened the score, notching 6 runs on the scoreboard!
Then, in the fifth inning, Eagle Grove managed to seize a 10-9 lead with a crucial run. The Eagle Grove bullpen firmly shut down West Hancock to secure the hard-earned win.
Notably, Trenton Sorenson led the team with an impressive three RBIs, while Jake Jeske, Syrus Willard, Mack Morgan, Jordan Morris, and Nolan Krauss also contributed to the scoreboard. Talon Carpenter showcased his pitching prowess, earning the win in relief after an outstanding performance of 3.2 innings, allowing only one hit and striking out five opponents.
Like their baseball counterparts, the Lady Eagles started out falling behind early in the game as West Hancock scored two runs in a first inning that was scoreless for Eagle Grove's gals. But the tables started to turn in the second, when the hometown girls fought their opponents to a standstill in a mutually scoreless second inning.
But it was in the third inning that Eagle Grove brought together a commanding defense with a blistering offensive game that utterly dominated West Hancock. Unleashing a relentless blitzkrieg on the visitors, the home team got to work at the bats and rounding the bases!
It started with singles in the third from Chloe Steil and Addy Jeske, followed by a walk for Tarissa Middleton. Then Jeske and Callie Steil both scored on wild pitches, before Middleton boldly stole home plate — taking the lead 3 to 2!
The local ladies kept the pressure on in the fourth as Celeste Figueroa singled, then scored on an error. Which was followed by a single from Olivia Conaway, who then scored on a single from Suzi Kaiser. Kaiser followed up that single by scoring on a sacrifice bunt courtesy of teammate Chloe Steil, doubling Eagle Grove's score and increasing their lead to four.
Going into the fifth with a 6-2 score, the Eagle Grove girls were far from content to rest on their laurels, and instead set about showing their opponents how winning is done. First, Middleton scored after being hit by a pitch, when Braxton Steil reached on an error. Braxton then scored on a sacrifice bunt played by Nadia Kaiser. Then Figueroa took a walk until Maddison Kaiser singled, and both girls ran it in to score. The action continued as the Eagle Grove girls continued to rack up the points with Suzi Kaiser and Crystal flores both walking onto bases before Jeske singled, which sent Kaiser home for another score. Then, on a wild pitch from West Hancock, Flores made a break for it and scored to win the final point for Eagle Grove, wrapping up the game 12-2!
On the pitcher's mound through the game, Brookly Osborne led the defensive side of the victory that kept the visitors from scoring in the last four innings of the game. Giving up only 2 hits, Osborne made herself the clear MVP of the game.
