Pat Harty

Your Prep Sports

SOLON – As one of five seniors on the Solon softball team, catcher Jess Heick felt more pressure than usual before Wednesday’s postseason game against Mid-Prairie.

That’s what happens when you’re just one loss from having something special come to an end.

“Obviously, you get really nervous when you know any game could be your last one in a Solon uniform,” Heick said. “But I think we all really approach it, even more now as a senior, with a team-first attitude.

“I know I need to find a way on (base) to show everyone in the lineup they can find a way on. And then the whole team goes together. We really feed off of each other.”

Heick had no trouble getting on base in Wednesday’s Class 3A regional opener as she belted a two-run home run – her team leading eighth home run this season – and drove in another run with a double, leading the sixth-ranked Spartans to an 11-1 victory.

The game was stopped in the bottom of the sixth inning because of the 10-run rule.

“I’m seeing (the ball) a lot better lately than I have been in the last couple of weeks,” said Heick, who entered the game with a .459 batting average.  “But we practice a lot. We watched the pitcher on film and we set up the machines just like her.”

Mid-Prairie struck first, scoring its only run in the top of the first inning on a wild pitch by Solon senior McKenna Miller.

Miller then worked out of the early jam by striking out the next three batters to limit the damage. She would go on to pitch into the sixth inning, allowing just three hits and recording eight strikeouts.

“She threw well with base runners,” Solon coach Jim White said of Miller, who improved to 12-6 on the season.

The score was tied 1-1 when Solon first baseman Jadyn Jeter drove in two runs with a double to left-center field.

Jeter’s double ignited a huge rally that turned into a seven-run inning on four hits and three costly throwing errors by Mid-Prairie pitcher Cassidy Rourke.

Heick’s two-run homer also came during the fourth-inning rally, along with a double by senior center fielder Bryan Hanrahan and singles by junior Madison Rodgers and senior Tara Lance.

“That was awesome. She really got the momentum going,” Heick said of Jeter’s two-run double. “Once that starts, everyone feeds off of that. I think that really set the tone for that inning and we really just picked up from there.”

No. 6 Solon scored three runs in the sixth to complete the victory. Heick drove in one of the runs with a double to deep right field.

Solon (29-12) advanced to the Region 7 semifinals where it will host PCM on Friday at 7 p.m., while Mid-Prairie finished the season at 12-24.

The Golden Hawks had chances to seize the momentum early, and to build on its 1-0 lead, but failed to do so, largely because of Miller getting key strikeouts.

“I was worried because they seemed to be on us,” White said. “They had those lead-off runners on in the first three innings. So I was a little worried there. We didn’t have great at bats early. But once we got going, I felt pretty good. Our short game kind of got them flustered. And then once we got the lead, we relaxed.”

Solon’s aggressiveness on the base paths caused Rourke to throw wildly three times with multiple runners on base, including the final play of the game when Solon scored after Rourke threw wide of home plate.  

“They were so concerned, we steal so many bases,” White said. “It just makes it really difficult to field because the shortstop is worrying so bad over here and then we have left handers who are coming this way.”

White always prepares for and expects a close game regardless of the opponent. He emphasizes that approach even more in the postseason.

“I think that’s tournament softball,” said White, who has won seven state titles – six at Clear Creek and one at Solon. “And we talked about it earlier today. My mantra forever is you win these games in the fifth, sixth and seventh and extra innings. No matter who you’re playing, it happens all the time in tournament softball.

“One nice thing is we’re prepare for it. Maybe you’re limiting your team. But we honestly have been preparing for a one-run game. You’ve got to have them prepared or otherwise they get in that mode and they panic.”

Wednesday’s game started with veteran umpire Connie Baak being recognized for 49 years on the base paths. She worked her last game on Wednesday.

Baak and White go back a long ways as she used to umpire many of White’s games while he was the head coach for Clear Creek, where he coached before switching to Solon five years ago.

“It’s pretty neat because I’ve known her like forever,” White said.

Mid-Prairie    100 000  –   1   3   3

Solon               010 703  –  11 10  1

Cassidy Rourke and Kylee Kos. McKenna Miller, Kayla West (6) and Jess Heick.

W – McKenna Miller                   L – Cassidy Rourke

2B – MP: Jaselayn Robertson. SOL: Bryn Hanrahan, Taylor Moore, Jadyn Jeter, Jess Heick.

HR – SOL: JessHeick.