The Iowa Falls-Alden softball team was competitive, but Benton Community couldn’t be stopped in the late innings and defeated the Cadets 10-2 in six innings in a 3A Region 2 first round game Thursday, as aired on 99 The Wave.
After the game was delayed due to rain, the Bobcats struck first with two runs in the first inning and one in the second. The Cadets answered with a two out rally in the third when Cidni Phipps launched a two-run home run to cut the deficit to one. In the fourth, the Cadets’ potential tying run was thrown out at home on a fielder’s choice. The Bobcats regained momentum as they batted around to score three in the fifth and four in the sixth to end the game early via the run margin rule. Head Coach Emily Banken on how the matchup played out and the impact of six seniors.
“The first few innings of this game were really exciting. I felt like we were really ready to play and ready to compete. We were putting the ball in play and making some pretty good defensive plays. Then late in the game, just a few mistakes happened. A couple things got away from us and they took advantage of that. They had some very timely hits,” says Banken. “They set the tone for practices. They show the girls that it’s okay to have fun when we’re still working hard. We have expectations for everybody to meet. Teaching them the norms that we maybe don’t go over in practice, but what to expect every day and how to handle themselves as high school softball players. They just have done a great job of that.”
It was the final game for Cadet seniors Cidni Phipps, Vada Campbell, Erica Baker, Addison Vanderloop, Brooklyn Handeland and Alivia Tupper.
Iowa Falls-Alden has concluded its season at 10-12.
