Darnell sparkles in quarterfinal win

KEOKUK – Lucia Darnell has some genes that are working for her.
As the daughter of Bloodhound legacy player Erica (Martinez) Darnell, the youngster had some steely nerves in Fort Madison’s 8-2 win over Keokuk in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A, Region 3 softball Thursday night in Keokuk.
The win sends the Lady Hounds (13-14) to Norwalk (31-7) for a 7 p.m. game against the No. 2 team in the state in 4A.
Erica Darnell has been in the dugout all year and Head Coach Kyle Doherty said she sets the pitching rotations, but he had no issue with starting Darnell, who hasn’t yet started her freshman year of high school.
“Absolutely not. She’s a hammer,” Doherty said.
“She’s proven herself.  It would’ve been different if the numbers said something else, but her numbers are very good and they’re very good against Keokuk, so it made perfect sense to me.”
Darnell scattered just three hits and gave up no earned runs in the complete game win, her seventh of the year against four losses.
She gave credit for the win to her teammates and her mom.
“Oh, I trust my teammates to make plays behind me and score for me,” Darnell said. “And I like having her in there calling pitches. I can trust her.”
Darnell said she’s a little nervous about Saturday’s game at Norwalk, but she’s also excited to be able to advance and get the chance to play again.

The Hounds took control of the game early with three runs in the second inning and four more in the third. Ava Taylor got things started in the second with a one-out single to center. Emma Snaadt would reach on a throwing error at second trying to get Taylor on a force out. Keokuk got a strike out for the second out and then Darnell walked to load the bases. Ava Fuget then singled to right field down the baseline, scoring Snaadt and Taylor.
Jordyn Marshall, who had three hits on the night, singled to center, scoring Darnell. Doherty waived Fuget home all the way from first, but the Chiefs gunned her down on a nice relay from short to end the inning.
Darnell would rack up two strikeouts and a fly out to short center to put the Chiefs down in order in the top of the third. Then, with one out in the bottom of the third, Brylie Lorence walked and Kylie Lumino reached on one of Keokuk’s four errors on the night. Olivia Buckner moved the runners up with a sacrifice bunt. Taylor and Snaadt drew back-to-back walks. Lorence scored on a wild pitch before Laci Gathers striped a ball to the fence in center, scoring both Taylor and Snaadt for 7-0. Keokuk would work out of the jam.
The Chiefs would counter with a couple runs in the top of the fourth on an error and an RBI single by Gracie Thompson.
Fort Madison would add an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning when Lumino singled and drove in Marshall.
Marshall was 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored to lead the Lady Hounds at the plate. Lorence had a couple hits and a run scored and Lumino was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Fuget, Taylor, and Gathers had the other hits. Fuget had two RBIs.
Darnell’s line was two runs, none earned, on four hits while striking out six and not allowing a walk.
Doherty said Marshall has made some adjustments at the plate which are showing dividends, including tonight.
“She had a nice night at the plate and in the field. She’s made a lot of changes and that worked out obviously in this game, so we just want to keep that rolling,” he said.
He said Norwalk is a good team, but the Lady Hounds would’ve gone up Thursday night after the win and played instead of waiting two days.
“I think it's a quick turnaround looking at it now, but I believe they'd go there right now. I truly believe that they're ready to go right now,” he said.