MONROE — Sometimes, the best way to break through a slump, is to take a chance on swinging at the first pitch.
That’s what sophomore Anna Shaver did Monday night against South Hamilton.
Admitting she was in a slump coming into the game, Shaver sent Taylor Volkmann’s first pitch over the right-field fence, and that completed a big comeback for the Mustangs during an 8-4 home victory during Heart of Iowa Conference play.
Shaver’s first career varsity home run was a no-doubter that completed a seven-run fifth inning and helped PCM rally from an early 4-0 deficit.
“I was noticing that the first pitch was usually a strike so if it was there I wanted to hit. It was there, so I hit it,” Shaver said. “It was very much so the hardest hit ball I have ever had in my varsity career. That made my day. I was in a slump, and I am coming back from it. This was the final thing that made me know that I might be out of that slump. I was very happy.”
The comeback win by PCM kept the Mustangs in the hunt for the runner-up position in the HOIC. The win over South Hamilton improved PCM to 11-3 in conference play, and North Polk is third at 10-4.
Those two schools play Friday in Alleman for second in the league after Collins-Maxwell/Baxter clinched the conference championship Monday with a 2-0 victory over the Comets.
“They are a good team, there’s no doubt about that,” PCM coach Scott Bridges said of a South Hamilton team which came into the game winners of six straight games. “We are a good team, too, when we are doing things right and not beating ourselves. When we are playing our game, playing relaxed and smooth, I feel like we can play with anybody. We just have to give ourselves a chance and not take ourselves out of games.”
The Mustangs (14-11 overall and 11-3 in the HOIC) were beating themselves a bit early in the game.
South Hamilton scored three runs in the third with two hits, a PCM error and a walk by Mustang starter Kayla Jennings. The Hawks, who knocked off Class 2A No. 1 Interstate 35 at their own tournament on Saturday, scored their final run in the fifth in part because of another error.
Offensively, the Mustangs had three hits in the first four innings. They stranded two runners on base in the first inning and left single runners stranded in the next three innings.
Things changed in the fifth though.
PCM got going when seniors Jayci Vos and Abby Waddell both reached on one-out bunt singles. Senior Courtney Bridges hit an RBI single to put the Mustangs on the board and then Jennings made it 4-2 with another RBI single.
“Sometimes once you get on somebody, the pitcher can be shaken,” Coach Bridges said. “I think maybe she was trying to get it over the plate after that to try to get strikeouts. That allowed us to go after some pitches. That loosened us up.
“We were chasing the rise ball early. We started to recognize that pitch.”
With two outs, junior Madison Foster and senior Brooke Nicholson tied the game with RBI hits. Both players came around to score on Shaver’s three-run blast that easily cleared the fence in right field.
Shaver started the game at first base but did not bat until the fourth inning when she grounded out to second.
Coach Bridges stuck with her in the fifth, and Shaver got it done with the game-winning bomb.
“Right before the game, I noticed something with her footwork during BP,” Coach Bridges said. “We were able to fix it, but I had already had her getting DH for. I decided to let her bat, and that was a huge hit. We were already having a big inning anyway. That was awesome.”
PCM tacked on another run in the sixth to take an 8-4 lead into the seventh inning. Vos was hit by a pitch to start the inning, stole second and scored on Waddell’s RBI single. Waddell finished with three hits in the win.
The seven-run inning was more than enough support for Jennings, who improved to 11-8 in the circle. She allowed four runs — two earned — on nine hits with two strikeouts and two walks. Jennings also had two hits, was hit by a pitch, scored a run and had an RBI at the plate.
Foster had two hits and reached base a third time on a South Hamilton error. Vos scored two runs and stole two bases. The Mustangs left seven on base.
Volkmann dropped to 9-6 on the year for the Hawks. She allowed eight runs on 11 hits with four strikeouts, two walks and two hit by pitches.
Alissa Moss had two hits and scored two runs from the lead-off spot for the Hawks (17-8, 8-5). She reached base a third time following a PCM error in the third. She later scored that inning to give South Hamilton a 3-0 lead.
Moss doubled in the fifth and scored on Marla Grubb’s RBI single to make it 4-0. Grubb had two hits in the loss.
PCM hosts 4A Knoxville for Senior Night at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Monroe.
The Mustangs can do no worse than tie for second in the HOIC with a win at Nevada on Wednesday.