COLFAX — Amy Russell led her team to an easy home win Monday over Montezuma on Senior Night.
Russell, playing in one of her final regular season games at the school, had four hits at the plate, crushed her ninth home run of the season and got the win inside the pitching circle during an 11-1 victory over the Bravettes.
The Class 1A No. 11 Tigerhawks grabbed an early lead and never looked back in improving to 22-8 on the season.
They are still tied for third with Lynnville-Sully in the South Iowa Cedar League standings at 11-4.
Russell finished 4-for-4 at the plate with three RBIs and three runs scored. She is now hitting a team-best .530 on the season.
The home run she hit in the first inning was Russell’s ninth of the season, which pulls into a four-way tie for second in 1A. Russell’s teammate, junior Rhiannon Haley, also has nine home runs.
Russell’s three RBIs brings her to 44 on the season, which ranks third in 1A. Haley is second in 1A with 45.
The Tigerhawks plated two runs in the first inning. Junior Ries Wilson led off the frame with a double and scored on Russell’s blast to left field.
Colfax-Mingo went up 8-0 after two innings following a six-run second inning.
Sophomore Delaney Underwood drew a one-out walk and then sophomore Chelsea Russell walked with two outs.
Wilson’s second double of the game scored Underwood and then senior Alivia Haley belted a two-run double.
Russell’s RBI single scored Alivia Haley to make it 6-0. Two Montezuma errors made it 8-0. The Bravettes committed three errors in the game.
Colfax-Mingo added two more runs in the fourth. Russell and Rhiannon Haley had back-to-back singles to start the inning.
Sophomore Mackensie Brown drove in Rhiannon Haley with an RBI single and sophomore Colbee Cunningham came around to score after Montezuma threw the ball to the infield.
The Bravettes (12-12 overall, 7-8 in the SICL) avoided the mercy rule after five innings with a single run in the fourth.
Colfax-Mingo did end the game after six innings though. Russell singled to start the frame, Brown walked with two outs and Underwood hit a walk-off RBI single to finish it off.
Eight of the Tigerhawks’ 10 hits came from the first four batters in the lineup.
Wilson had two doubles and scored two runs. Alivia Haley had two RBIs and Brown had two RBIs and two walks.
Russell improved to 14-3 in the circle after allowing one earned run on three hits with four strikeouts and four walks in four innings. She now has 125 strikeouts on the season.
Cunningham did not allow a run or a hit, and she struck out one in the final two innings.
Colfax-Mingo, which has won six straight games, hosts 2A No. 3 Collins-Maxwell/Baxter at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Colfax.