Peyton Johnson continues season-long production with multiple key hits for Kirkwood softball in sweep of Iowa Lakes

CEDAR RAPIDS — Peyton Johnson’s teammates set the table.

The Kirkwood freshman stepped to the plate and she feasted.

Johnson tallied three hits with a home run and double, drove in five runs and scored twice, including the game-winning run on Sailor Hall’s double for a walk-off 9-8 victory against Iowa Lakes in the opener of a softball doubleheader at Kirkwood. The Eagles won the nightcap, 22-1, in five innings.

Johnson, a former Marion prep, had runners on base each plate appearance, giving her the opportunity to deliver. She reached base every time, finishing a triple shy of hitting for the cycle with two walks.

“I was like, I have to drive them in,” Johnson said. “They got on for me. I’m going to bring them in because they got on for me.”

Johnson has thrived in those moments. She even embraces the chances to produce and was ready when each played out against Iowa Lakes. Belief in her skills is key during those instances.

“It’s good to be in those situations when people are on base,” Johnson said. “It really fuels my competitiveness. Shout out to my teammates for getting on base.”

Johnson entered the game with a team-high 26 RBIs and .391 batting average. She was tied with Hall for the team lead with 34 hits.

“She’s probably been our most consistent hitter all year,” Kirkwood Coach Eric Frese said. “She does a really good job of hitting what she wants to hit.”

Frese has moved her between the second, third and fourth spots in the batting order. He placed her in the No. 2 position more recently, making teams decide to pitch to her with capable hitters like Hall and Brenna Ross behind her.

“I think it’s going to keep helping us generate some offense,” Frese said. “She’s been doing it all year. Even down at spring break against some top-five teams in the country. She’s hit some big home runs late in games. She’s been looking really, really good.”

Frese isn’t surprised by the output. He recognized her ability to play at this level. A strong work ethic that Johnson says was emphasized by her dad has helped accelerate her development.

“We brought her in here knowing that she was potentially going to take off at the college level,” Frese said. “She has worked her tail off to get better and better.”

Iowa Lakes had a 4-0 lead when Johnson put the Eagles on the board with an opposite-field single to left, scoring Grace Zaugg and Lexi Hines. She pulled Kirkwood within 5-4 in the fourth, belting a two-run home run over the left center wall.

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Delia Schwartz added a solo home run in the fifth, which was followed by Johnson’s RBI double to right field. She showed her versatility, spraying the ball all over the field.

“Normally, pitchers give me outside pitches,” Johnson said. “That girl had a really good screwball and she was giving me inside, too. She was going outside, outside and the one that I hit to right field was inside. I respect that. She was a great pitcher.”

The Lakers held a one-run lead in the seventh. Kirkwood’s Rachael Schlotter led off with a single and Johnson walked. A wild pitch moved both into scoring position. Hall smacked a liner to the base of the left center wall to close the win.

“I had full confidence in Sailor,” Johnson said. “I knew she was going to drive Rachael and me in.”

Kirkwood improved to 20-10 overall and 5-1 in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference. Iowa Lakes is 10-16 and 1-5.

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