Cascade’s softball team went 5-1 in River Valley Conference play last week before dropping a non-league tilt at Beckman.
“I feel like the girls played hard and are improving in the batters’ box each week,” said coach Sonya McCormick. “Although some games may not have shown tons of hits, we are still putting the ball in play hard and teams are starting to play us deep, knowing we will.”
The Cougars opened the week with a road sweep of North Cedar, June 20, winning game one, 2-1, and game two, 15-5.
North Cedar led, 1-0, after one inning, but Devin Simon’s two-run home run in the third gave Cascade the lead. That was all Brianna Carroll needed, as the sophomore threw a complete-game three-hit gem, striking out five to get the win.
Simon, Addison Frake and Carroll were 1-for-3 and Corinne Rea 1-for-2.
Cascade got the offense rolling in game two, scoring nine runs in the second inning to take an 11-0 lead. After the Knights got on the board in the bottom of the inning, the Cougars plated two more to lead 13-1 in the top of the third.
North Cedar scored a pair of runs in the bottom half of the frame, but Cascade cruised to the win, scoring twice in the fifth for good measure.
Simon scattered 10 hits in the circle, allowing five runs and striking out six in a five-inning complete game, while going 4-for-4 with two triples and four RBIs at the plate. Claudia Noonan was 3-for-3 with two RBIs, Alyssa Lux 2-for-3 with two RBIs, Brianna Koppes and Ella Nauman 1-for-2 and Kennedy Simon 1-for-3. Kate Green had two RBIs.
The Cougars took a pair from Bellevue, June 21, winning the opener, 14-5, and the second game, 6-4.
Game one went back and forth early as Cascade scored five times in the first and twice in the second, but the Comets put up four of their own in the bottom of the second to trail only 7-5.
That would be all the scoring Bellevue would manage, as Cascade scored two in the third, fourth and seventh innings along with a single tally in the fifth to earn the runaway victory.
Simon again swung a hot bat, and led a 17-hit Cascade attack, going 4-for-4 with a home run, a double and four RBIs. Taryn Hoffman was 3-for-4 with two RBIs, Noonan 2-for-4 with two RBIs, Frake and Koppes 2-for-3 with one RBI, Carroll 2-for-4, Kennedy Simon 1-for-3 with one RBI and Nauman 1-for-4.
Carroll allowed five runs on seven hits to get the pitching win.
A three-run sixth inning completed a Cougar rally after falling behind 3-0 in the first inning in game two. Noonan started in the circle and pitched 2 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on two hits, before Green went the final 4 ⅔ innings, allowing no runs and one hit to get the win.
Cascade had eight hits. Drake was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, Noonan 2-for-3 with one RBI, Kennedy Simon 2-for-3, Rea 1-for-3 with one RBI, Hoffman 1-for-3 and Devin Simon 1-for-4.
Cascade got a win, at Monticello, June 22, nipping the Panthers, 2-1. Monticello took a 1-0 lead in the first, but a two-run fifth was the recipe for the Cougars, as Green threw a complete-game four-hitter.
Lux led a seven-hit Cougar attack going 3-for-3. Koppes was 2-for-3, Green 1-for-3 with one RBI, and Rea 1-for-3 as the bottom of the Cascade order came through with a big night.
Class 2A No. 4 Wilton improved to 21-5 on the season with an 8-1 win, at Cascade, June 23.
Devin Simon, Green and Carrol split the pitching duties for the Cougars. Simon allowed one run and one hit in two innings, Green three runs on four hits in three innings and Carroll four runs and six hits in two innings.
The Cougars were limited to just three hits, with Devin Simon 2-for-3 and Noonan 1-for-2.
Beckman hung on for an 11-8 win over Cascade, in Dyersville, June 24.
The Cougars led 3-1 after two innings, but Beckman scored twice in the third and put six runs on the board in the fourth to lead 9-3. Both teams scored twice in the fifth, and the Blazers withstood a three-run Cascade rally in the seventh to win, 11-8.
Noonan was 3-for-4 with one RBI, Devin Simon 2-for-4 with one RBI, Frake Hoffman, Rea and Lux had one hit and one RBI, and Koppes had one hit.
“Our pitching did a good job this week. We’ve had some injuries and sore arms catching up with us after having games every day for the last few weeks, but the girls have really worked hard to overcome our struggles, which I think is a huge step in the right direction from the beginning of the year,” said McCormick. “Our biggest goal moving forward is to stay mentally tough through every inning and be ready for every game like it could be our last.”
