Early L-M lead too much for Lady Hawks

DONNELLSON – Central Lee Head Coach Jason Hawk doesn’t like any loss, but if he had a “good loss” in his coaching tool box, Thursday’s 9-5 loss to Class 2A No. 2 Louisa-Muscatine could be one of those.
The Hawks put up a four-run sixth inning kicked off by Jalyn Hawk’s solo homerun over the right field fence at the Hawks’ field in Donnellson, but the rally came up short and the Hawks move on to their regular season finale Monday in a doubleheader with Burlington at Central Lee.
“I don’t know. Especially the way we started out. I felt that we were going through the motions today until that sixth inning,” Hawk said.
“Until we got down big, then we started doing the right things and some of these girls know, with a good team like L-M, you can’t do that.”
The Hawks had a one-run lead early on when junior Kenna Sandoval doubled in a run, but the Falcons countered with three in the top of the second. The Lady Hawks seemed a little shell-shocked for the next four innings as L-M built a 7-1 lead after five innings.
But in the sixth, following Hawk’s home run, Elaina Barlow doubled to right center just under the glove of the Falcons’ fielder at second. A strikeout would leave the rally with just one out left, but Aubree Bunnell singled under the shortstop’s glove to drive in Olivia Day, then Jali Hawks singled on a ball that bounced once and hit the fence in right field to score Bunnell and Barlow. Carley Pezley then hit a sharp liner to left field that hung up just long enough for the Falcons to record an out.
Barlow retired the side unscathed in the top of the seventh, but Louisa-Muscatine’s Kamryn Taylor, who started the game, was relieved, and then came back in to finish up, gave up just a two-out single to Jali Hawk before getting a strikeout to end the game.

“I’m happy with the way we ended, the way the sixth inning went - hitting the ball and everything else. Some of the girls that have struggled, hit the ball hard. They didn’t have the best of luck, but they hit it hard at somewhere.”
He said there are two more games at home against Burlington and that will also give the Hawks some good work before the post-season starts. But losses at this point against good teams just prepare the Hawks for bracket play.
“You talk about a good loss, and I never like losses, but you lose to the number two team in the state, that’s always a good loss. There’s not a lot of pitchers that can hit their spots with this kind of speed. That’s good for us to see,” Jason Hawk said.
He said Kylee Hill in Burlington again will provide some velocity out of the circle. Following the Hawks' Monday set with the Grayhounds, they take on Monticello Thursday.
“That’ll get us ready for more against a Washington or someone. I’m not looking ahead of Monticello, obviously, but if we play our game, they're not going to beat us.”
Jaci Hawk went 2-of-3 at the plate with 2 RBIs and a run scored. Jalyn Hawk also had two hits. Bunnell was 3-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Jalyn Hawk went 4 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs, just two earned, on eight hits. Barlow came on in relief and went 2 2/3, allowing two runs on one hit.
The Hawks fall to 21-8 on the year with the loss.