Clear Creek Amana makes up for last year’s state absence

CEDAR RAPIDS - Clear Creek Amana's Eden Campbell said she and her classmates got the monkey off their back with a 6-1 victory last night over Washington (Iowa) in a Class 4A regional softball final at Cedar Rapids Xavier.

'Oh my God, it feels so good,” Campbell said, tilting her head back in laughter. 'Last year, my class was the first class to never make it to regionals so it's great to be moving on (to state).”

The senior catcher had the luxury of crouching behind the plate while Lexi Kinnaird put on a pitching clinic against the Demons. Kinnaird gave up five hits and one run while walking just one batter in a nine-strikeout performance.

Kinnaird retired the final six batters she faced, and the junior helped her own cause on offense by going 1-for-3 at the plate and driving in a run in the bottom of the third inning.

'She's been a rock for us lately,” Clear Creek Amana Coach Barb Lynn said. 'She has come strong all postseason. She keeps hitters off balance and does everything we need her to do on the mound. Her change up throws them off and she comes back with a fast pitch, giving them different things each at bat. She's been doing a nice job with that.”

The Clippers take a 22-17 record into a state tournament opener Monday at 3 p.m. against Solon. After starting with a 5-9 mark, Clear Creek Amana has found itself fighting an uphill battle much of the season.

Last night, Kinnaird was able to strike out batters reaching for her fastball or catch them on strike three gawking at her curveball. Kinnaird calls her range of pitches 'mixing it up,” something she hopes to do well on the state tournament stage next week in Fort Dodge.

'The curve was working the best for me today,” she said. 'The rise I could get in with. It was nice to be able to mix it up. We've meshed as a team together and have gotten things done when we needed to.

'It's extremely, extremely exciting. Watching other teams go to state gives me goose bumps, but this is an experience that you can't even explain.”

l Comments: ben.ross@thegazettecompany.com