Iowa City Liberty uses 7th-inning magic, twice, in softball sweep of Kennedy

NORTH LIBERTY — There’s clutch. Then there’s double-clutch.

Haley Schroeder doubled home the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning Thursday evening. Then, about 90 minutes later, Kelsey Kaut did the exact same thing.

That’s double-clutch. And that’s a softball sweep for Class 4A 14th-ranked Iowa City Liberty, 2-1 and 4-3 over Cedar Rapids Kennedy at Liberty High School.

“Those are the games the kids are going to remember,” Liberty Coach Mike Morrison said after the Lightning improved to 17-10 overall, 9-6 Mississippi Valley Conference.

Liberty was out-hit by a 10-6 margin in the first game, 10-5 in the second. But the Lightning got the dagger double in both contests.

“I was just hoping to get something I knew I could drive,” Schroeder said. “I got a fastball and hit it into the gap.”

Schroeder did it with a protective device on her right wrist. She suffered a stretched thumb ligament recently “pretty much because of overuse.”

Ava Tague opened the winning rally with a walk and advanced to second on Ella Kate Fort’s single. Two outs later, Schroeder delivered with a clean, deep drive to left-center field.

Schroeder had an opportunity for more seventh-inning heroics in the nightcap, but popped up with one out.

No matter; this was Kaut’s time to shine. Her liner to left field hit the foul-line chalk, chasing home Lucy Maassen and securing the sweep.

“I was watching it really close and praying it would stay fair,” Kaut said. “My approach was just to score the run any way I could.”

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Maassen led off the seventh with a single and moved to second on Kinley Jones’ sacrifice bunt.

The Lightning have won five consecutive games. That included a messy sweep of Iowa City High on Wednesday by scores of 23-7 and 25-10.

A night later, the Bolts’ pitching and defense were far more crisp.

Kaelyn Rickels picked up the victory in Game 1, in her first varsity start. Haileigh Smith earned the win in the nightcap.

“(Rickels) settled in and threw strikes and used her stuff,” Morrison said. “For a first start, that was huge. She’s capable of that.”

Kennedy (15-15, 8-8) scored first in both contests, but was unable to tack on. In the fourth inning of Game 1, the Cougars collected four hits without scoring a run.

Addy Alber and Alli VanderZee had two hits apiece in each game. The Cougars have dropped 12 of their last 17 games after a 10-3 start.

Iowa City Liberty 2-4, Cedar Rapids Kennedy 1-3

At North Liberty

Game 1

C.R. Kennedy 100 000 0 — 1 10 0

Iowa City Liberty 000 100 1 — 2 6 1

Lily Knutson and Addy Alber. Kaelyn Rickels and Mischa Reiners. W — Rickels (1-0). L — Knutson (10-6).

Game 2

C.R. Kennedy 101 100 0 — 3 10 0

Iowa City Liberty 200 010 1 — 4 5 0

Ella Brown and Lilea Prahm. Haileigh Smith and Mischa Reiners. W — Smith (3-3). L — Brown (5-8).

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com