Kirkwood’s Sailor Hall tosses shutout in softball doubleheader sweep over Southeastern

CEDAR RAPIDS – Pitching suits Sailor Hall perfectly.

Being in the center of the action on the softball diamond fuels her competitive fire.

“I do like it,” said Hall, a former West Liberty prep. “I like being involved in every play. I’m in control. If the game goes bad, I have myself to blame and I get to take part in everything.”

Hall leads Kirkwood in starts, innings, complete games and victories in the circle. She tossed a shutout in a 10-0 win in five innings, closing the Eagles’ doubleheader sweep over Southeastern Thursday at home. Kirkwood took the opener, 6-5.

“Our bats weren’t as strong as we wanted in the first game,” Hall said. “Knowing that we don’t ever have a horrible day all together. The bats are going to come around in the second game for us. I was confident in our batting lineup and defense to be able to play behind me and get the job done.”

Hall (9-3) limited the Blackhawks to just two hits, allowing just one baserunner to advance beyond first. She struck out seven without giving up a walk. Hall retired the final five batters and 11 of the last 12, commanding each pitch and moving the ball inside and outside.

“Every day is a different day with a pitcher, whether its softball or baseball,” Kirkwood Coach Eric Frese said. “Some days they have their stuff and some days they don’t. There’s never a question that Sailor is going to compete really, really hard.

“Today, her ball was spinning. When she competes and it’s spinning, it’s tough to hit her.”

The pre-game warmup was just good and bad enough for Hall. She explained her reasoning.

“Honestly, I feel my best games come when my bullpen is mediocre,” Hall said with a laugh. “When it’s really bad, I get a little nervous. When it’s really good, I also get a little nervous. I like when I’m hitting my spots but it’s not my best. I can come out and having a batter in front of me can help me visualize where I’m hitting my spots.”

Hall’s impact extends well beyond the pitching plate. She is nestled in the middle of the Eagles batting order, averaging .382 with 50 hits including 16 doubles and five home runs. Hall has shown her versatility, playing the outfield when she isn’t pitching.

Frese said he used Hall as a designated player when not pitching, keeping her bat in the lineup. He noted they tried to balance the demands of pitching, hitting and defending. Something they still manage this season.

“At times, we didn’t let her hit when she pitched because we were trying to protect the workload between the innings and at-bats (last year),” Frese said. “She obviously hits in the No. 4 hole for us when we need her to do both. She’s a really good defensive outfielder. Heck with it, we’re going to go full-fledge and let her do both.”

Brenna Ross provided all the run support Hall needed. Ross smacked a grand slam in the six-run second inning. She also added an RBI single and scored on a Delia Schwartz in the fourth. Schwartz and Sydney Roe each had two hits. Roe and Peyton Johnson, who hit a solo home run in the first, each scored twice for Kirkwood (30-10).

In the opener, Rachael Schlotter scored three times and hit a solo home run. Johnson had two hits, two runs and was one of six Eagles with an RBI.

Jenna Sprague earned her third save in the opener, pitching 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.

“Both of our sophomore pitchers – Hall and Jenna Sprague – really stepped up,” Frese said. “Between the two of them they didn’t give up a run. When you have leadership and have a couple athletes who have been through it and have been seasoned a little bit here at our level, the situation doesn’t get too big for them.”

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