CMB softball takes hold of HOIC after win over PCM

MONROE — It’s not too often that Collins-Maxwell/Baxter freshman Mikayla Houge gets flustered in the circle.

After Raider senior Abbey Kahler staked Houge to a 3-0 lead with a two-out home run in the third inning, Houge gave up three runs to Prairie City-Monroe in the bottom half of the inning to bring the game back to even.

But after an emotional heart to heart with her dad and coach, Houge shut down the Mustangs the rest of the way, and the Class 2A No. 5 Raiders took advantage of a few PCM miscues during a 7-3 road win.

Houge allowed three earned runs on six hits but struck out 10 to improve to 12-0 on the season. She surrendered just two singles in the final four innings to close the door on the Mustangs.

“She didn’t hit her spots in that inning and (PCM) took advantage of that,” CMB coach Troy Houge said. “I was a little hard on her after that inning because she let them get back in it, but after that she shut them down, came into the dugout and said ‘let’s go, let’s get some runs.’ She was pumped up after that and stepped up when she needed to. Basically she felt like she wasn’t going to let them score anymore at that point.”

The victory for the Raiders was their 20th of the season. CMB improved to 12-1 in the HOIC and a win over last-place Gilbert (1-13) on Wednesday gives the Raiders at least a share of the conference title.

The Mustangs dropped to 11-9 overall and 9-3 in the HOIC. PCM started the season 8-1 but is 3-8 in its last 11 games. They split with CMB on the season as both teams won on the other team’s home field.

“We just have to stop finding ways to beat ourselves at this point,” PCM coach Scott Bridges said. “We rallied and came back, but we just beat ourselves. It’s there. They didn’t have too many more hits than we did. It was just the walks and the errors that got us.”

CMB out-hit PCM 8-6, but the Raiders walked four times against senior Kayla Jennings and PCM committed four errors in the field. Mikayla Houge had CMB’s only error in the first inning, but she didn’t walk a batter in the circle.

“This was a big win for us,” Coach Houge said. “They made some errors, but part of it was I think we forced some of those errors by being aggressive in those situations.”

Neither team scored until the third inning. Jennings retired two of the first two batters she faced, but senior Megan Ritter got a one-out single to start the rally. Mikayla Houge walked with two outs to put two runners on, and then Kahler hit a 1-2 pitch over the fence in left field.

CMB, which has won three straight, now has 13 home runs on the season. That was Kahler’s third of the year.

“It’s huge for us if she can stay hot. She is such a good hitter,” Coach Houge said of Kahler. “That’s why I never moved her out of that

clean-up spot when she got off to the slow start. I knew she would hit the ball eventually. She is creeping up there with her average, and that huge’s for us. If she starts to hit, then both Mikaylas will see more pitches to hit.”

PCM came right back to tie the game in the bottom half of the inning against Mikayla Houge.

Senior Jaiden drilled a one-out single up the middle and then senior Abby Waddell put two runners on with a bunt single. Senior Jayci Vos made it 3-1 with an RBI single and then senior Courtney Bridges tied the game with a two-run single.

Four of the six hits PCM got against Houge came in the third inning. She struck out the side in second and fanned two in the fifth.

“What you saw after that inning was Mikayla beared down and the defense beared down and they got after it,” Coach Houge said. “Our defense made some plays behind her, and she settled in after that one inning.”

CMB stranded two runners on base in the fifth before taking the lead in the sixth.

Sophomore Hannah Caple began the sixth with a hit by pitch. Freshman Holly Jessen walked and then an error allowed courtesy runner Emma Kahler to give CMB a lead.

After a sacrifice bunt by junior Jordynn Wesselink, senior Megan Ritter made it 5-3 with an RBI single. Junior Katie Camp followed with an RBI single and then a fielding error allowed a second run to score to make it 7-3. Camp had three hits in the win.

“I am not sure why kids make errors,” Coach Bridges said. “I am not sure if they are feeling some pressure or if they are trying to make a play. We just have to work it out and get past it because the girls are good enough to make all of those plays.

“We were put in those pressure situations though because they didn’t have to earn their way on base with the walks and hit by pitches.”

Ritter had two hits and scored two runs for the Raiders, and Jessen had one hit and walked twice.

Jennings (8-6) allowed seven runs — five earned — on eight hits. She struck out seven, walked four and hit one.

The Raiders have won 10 straight conference games since losing 5-1 to PCM on May 30. They host Gilbert at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Collins.

PCM hosts Gilbert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Monroe.