Viqueens’ season ends one win short of state

Stanton’s late season surge and its season came to a hard-hitting, state rated Riverside squad in the Class 1A regional finals last Monday.
The Bulldogs collected 11 hits – seven for extra bases – and wore down the Viqueens in an 11-1 victory to punch their ticket to the Iowa State Softball Tournament.
Stanton coach Brandie McFarland called Riverside, ranked No. 5 in the final regular season Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union Class 1A ranking, the best her team has faced this season. They put constant pressure on her team at the plate and made no mistakes in the field.
“They hit where we weren’t,” McFarland said. “She (Riverside pitcher Peyton Schafer) threw a no hitter the other night, so I was proud of us for getting four hits. It just seemed like they could hit anywhere they wanted when they wanted.”
Stanton got on the board first in the regional final on Kyla Hart’s solo home run in the top of the first. But the Bulldogs would answer with three runs of their own in the bottom of the opening frame.
The score would remain 3-1 into the third when Riverside took advantage of four walks and a hit-by-pitch by Stanton starter Bree Mitchell to plate two runs and go up 5-1.
It was the fourth inning, however, that saw the Bulldogs’ bats really come to life.
Three straight doubles by Sophia Fenner, Madison Kelley and Schafer and a single by Sydney Somers pushed the lead to 8-1. In all, 10 Bulldogs came to the plate in the frame with Fenner capping the rally and the win with another RBI double to end the game by the 10-run mercy rule.
McFarland admitted after the game that Mitchell, her pitcher that led the Viqueens’ postseason run by pitching every inning of their three-game winning streak, was worn down against Riverside.
“She’s been pitching a lot and throwing a lot of pitches,” the coach said. “She got a little frustrated a little bit because she felt the strike zone was changing a little bit. She got down on herself, but these girls don’t have anything to hang their heads about.”
Three days tossing after tossing a no-hitter in a 6-0 semifinal win over Mount Ayr, the Viqueens collected four hits off the hard throwing Schafer in regional final.
Riley Burke, Piper French and Mitchell all had hits.
Fenner and Kelley each had two hits and combined to drive in five for the Bulldogs.
For Stanton, four seniors suited up for the last time in the regional final. From game one to within one of state for the first time since 2007, McFarland saw progress from her team. And those senior captains – Hart, Kiela Franzen, Riley Burke and Mitchell – were instrumental in that growth.
“They’ve been with me since eighth grade, they’re great leaders and they will be missed for sure,” McFarland said. “They just know this game and they don’t need a lot of coaching; they’re such great athletes. They will be hard to replace.
Stanton closes with a final record of 12-11.