Fiser, Wiebel stake Bobcats to sweep

OXFORD - Amber Fiser is a power pitcher. Alyssa Wiebel, a power hitter.

And Benton Community, a powerhouse.

Fiser struck out 17 in a Game 1 five-hitter, then came on to get a two-out save in the nightcap as the Class 3A third-ranked Bobcats swept 4A No. 10 Clear Creek Amana, 5-0 and 5-4, in a Wamac Conference West Division softball double-header Monday night at McAreavy Field.

Wiebel pitched 6 1/3 solid innings in the second game - and walloped a pair of tape-measure solo home runs - as the Bobcats improved to 11-0 overall, 2-0 in the division.

'I'm just glad they're both wearing our uniform,” Benton Coach Eric Stenberg said.

A former Northwestern University commitment, Fiser is back on the market - 'Maybe Minnesota. I haven't decided yet,” she said - and possesses a fastball that tops out around 68 miles per hour.

She dominated in the opener, then was summoned in the second contest after the Clippers (2-2, 0-2) had closed within 5-4 on Madison Rogers' home run with one out in the bottom of the seventh.

Strikeout. Strikeout. Ball game. Sweep.

'The way the game was going, a couple hits, and they were right back in the game,” Stenberg said.

Wiebel is an Illinois State commitment. Her first home run landed 40 feet beyond the left-field fence and broke a 2-2 tie. The second was a laser that one-hopped an SUV well past the center-field wall.

'She's a freak athlete,” Stenberg said. 'She works really hard and has a really aggressive approach.”

'I just try to hit the ball hard,” Wiebel said. 'I hadn't been hitting it really hard, and I wanted to get a rally going.”

That was Fiser's plan when the came to the plate in a scoreless duel in the top of the seventh in Game 1.

'I was just trying to get a base hit, nothing special,” Fiser said.

Instead, her home run broke the deadlock, then the floodgates opened in a five-run eruption. Wiebel added a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0, then consecutive RBI singles by Laura Maschino, Angie Gorkow and Anna Stenberg extended it to 5-0.

Wiebel has a state-leading 17 RBIs.

The Clippers didn't lead all night, but tied the second game at 1-1, then 2-2.

BENTON COMMUNITY 5-5, CLEAR CREEK AMANA 0-4

At Oxford

Game 1

Benton Community 000 000 5 - 5 8 1

Clear Creek Amana 000 000 0 - 0 5 3

Amber Fiser and Jaicee Lyons. Lexi Kinnaird and Skylar Hop. W - Fiser (6-0). L - Kinnaird (1-1). HR - BC: Fiser (3).

Game 2

Benton Community 110 010 2 - 5 11 3

Clear Creek Amana 100 100 2 - 4 4 2

Alyssa Wiebel, Fiser (7) and Lyons. Hop, Megan Beckler (6) and Grace Murray. W - Wiebel (4-0). L - Hop (0-1). SV - Fiser (1). HR - BC: Wiebel 2 (5), CCA: Madison Rogers (1).

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