Iowa City Liberty stymies Cedar Rapids Prairie in an MVC softball sweep

Lightning, Hawks are 2 of the state’s most prolific home-run hitting teams, but not a single ball leaves the yard Tuesday at Prairie

Jeff Linder

Jun. 14, 2022 10:49 pm, Updated: Jun. 15, 2022 10:11 am

Iowa City Liberty assistant coach Emily Stumpff high-fives Ella McLaughlin (3) after her base hit during the first game of their Mississippi Valley Conference doubleheader with Cedar Rapids Prairie on Wednesday. The Lightning won both games, 8-2 and 5-0. (Geoff Stellfox/The Gazette)

CEDAR RAPIDS — They are two of the top home run-hitting teams in the state.

So, naturally, Iowa City Liberty and Cedar Rapids Prairie didn’t clear the fence all night. Didn’t come close.

Class 5A 10th-ranked Liberty proved more adept at manufacturing runs — and capitalizing on opportunities — and swept the 13th-ranked Hawks 8-2 and 5-0 in a Mississippi Valley Conference softball doubleheader Tuesday night at Prairie High School.

“I was able to get into a rhythm and see what their hitters could do,” said Kennedy Daugherty, who pitched a one-hit shutout in the nightcap.

“I trusted our defense a lot. We have really good defense, and we all have each other’s backs.”

Until a couple of seventh-inning errors in the final game, Liberty (19-3 overall, 15-1 MVC) made all of the routine plays, plus a number of extraordinary plays.

In short, the Lightning played all-around winning softball. They got ahead in the first inning of both games, got some timely hits and came up with defensive plays when the Hawks (13-7, 11-3) threatened.

Prairie stranded 11 baserunners in the opener, seven in the finale.

“Both of our pitchers threw well again tonight,” Liberty Coach Mike Morrison said. “We play at a different pace than most teams do. Our catchers call all of the pitches, so we play fast. Teams need to adjust to our pace.”

In Game 1, Liberty batted around in the first inning and again in the fourth, jumping to an 8-0 lead.

Kinsley Robertson capped a three-run first inning with a two-run single, and Brynlee Slockett and Daugherty each drove in a pair of runs as the Bolts tallied five times in the fourth.

Robertson (9-1) scattered six hits, striking out six and walking six.

In the nightcap, Liberty posted single tallies in the first, fourth and sixth, then tacked on two in the seventh.

Haileigh Smith was 3-for-4 in the finale and drove home a pair of runs.

Daugherty (9-2) gave up a first-inning single to Jensyn Jones, but that was it. She struck out six and walked four.

“She gets better and better each night,” Morrison said. “She’s more confident and has the ability to move on. She’s more at peace; she’s just pitching.”

Prairie entered — and exited — Tuesday with 22 home runs, which ranks second in the state. Liberty is tied for seventh with 18.

The sweep, coupled with Linn-Mar’s split with Western Dubuque, moved the Lightning into a first-place tie with Linn-Mar in the Mississippi Division.