Sophia Harpenau stole the show in the bottom of the seventh giving Remsen St. Mary’s a season-saving hit in the bottom of the seventh to beat North Butler 7-6 on Tuesday in Fort Dodge.
The Hawks were down 6-5 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh and their season on the line. With runners on second and third, Sophia Harpenau lined a ball over the centerfielder that scored the tying run and winning run in one fell swoop. Head coach Erika Bates says the Hawks have been known to have a flair for the dramatic, and they showed it again.
The Hawks were down 6-4 entering the bottom the seventh inning, but they had the top of the order set to hit first. Hits from Chloe Homan and Hallie Bunkers help set up the middle of the order to drive them in. Coach Bates says that middle of the order has been reliable all season long for her team.
Grace Galles drove in Homan to make it a one-run game, and Sophia Harpenau was in the hole at that point. She watched Mia Matgen strike out which made her at-bat the situation the game relied on. Harpenau says she was prepared to be in a big spot, and it led to a winning moment.
Harpenau says the message from the coaching staff was simple leading into the seventh inning.
Remsen St. Mary’s was solid throughout their lineup all throughout the game which put them in a spot to be able to win the game late. Coach Bates credits the communication the players do on their own to make adjustments on the fly.
Once the base hit fell in play, Harpenau says the team had a great moment to celebrate, and it helped build more comradery amongst the girls.
Coach Bates says she has come to expect these kind of moment from Harpenau who has proved she has the clutch gene time and time again.
The win helps keep Remsen St. Mary’s alive at the state tournament. The Hawks will next face off with St. Edmond for the second time this week. This will be another elimination game putting the Hawks one wrong move from the end of their season. Harpenau says the Hawks have to stick together and reach their potential to play on.
Coach Bates echoes the point saying the Hawks have to stay on the game-by-game mindset that got them here.
Remsen St. Mary’s takes on St. Edmond at 10:30 on Wednesday morning. KLEM Radio will have live coverage beginning at 10:15 from Fort Dodge.
If the Hawks beat the Gaels, they will take on Clarksville starting at 3:00 PM and will have to beat the Indians twice to advance to the championship game.
