One bat can set everything in motion.

That is what sophomore Dakota Mitchell did all season leading off the batting order with the Golden Hawks. Things in Center Point were bright when Mitchell led off the game with a double. Sophomore Brenna Jehle would lay down a sacrifice bunt, setting up sophomore Sydney Knebel for an RBI single, giving the Hawks a 1-0 lead over Center Point-Urbana. 

Unfortunately for the Hawks, momentum never coalesced to string together a rally of runs, eventually losing 3-1 to the Stormin Pointers. 

Knebel started on the mound, a place extremely familiar. She played through some discomfort and forced the first two batters to ground out to Mitchell. A third ground out to Mitchell was too hot to handle, allowing the first hit of the night for CP-U. Knebel would get out of the inning unscathed.

After the Hawks were retired in order, the Stormin Pointers re-entered the batters’ box. With runners on the corners, a line drive flew just over junior Hannah Sellers’ glove at first base, tying the game. Another single would load the bases before Knebel forced a popup and ground out to get out of the inning with minimal damage.

Mitchell, determined to spark her team, hit a one-out triple in the third inning. She was left stranded at third. Mitchell has stood out all season.

“[Dakota] sparks us all the time,” head coach Amy Hartsock-Williams said. “If she doesn’t get on, it’s a surprise, it’s like that. She’s just a great hitter. She works hard all year long and it shows.”

The bottom of the third would be Knebel’s last. She walked the first two batters and was struggling. A wild pitch helped the two runners advance. The Hawks were frantically warming up freshman Kadence Grout to come in as soon as possible as things seemed to be getting out of hand.

Knebel, through the pain, fought on and ended the inning very strong. She forced a flyout that was deep enough for the runner at third to tag and score. Despite this, the runner thought twice and stayed put, watching as senior Madeline Schrader made a good throw to her cutoff. 

Knebel then forced two groundouts, keeping the ball game tied at one.

“[Sydney] honestly didn’t have a choice. She had to stay in there and fight through it, and she did,” Hartsock-Williams said. “Credit to Sydney for fighting through it to give Kadence a chance to warm up.” 

Grout entered the game in the fourth inning.  With one runner on and two outs, the Stormin Pointers started a rally. 

An error allowed another runner on base. Two RBI singles followed to give the Pointers a 3-1 lead heading into the fifth inning. Despite this inning, Grout also had a great showing in Center Point. Without the mental errors by the Hawks, Grout likely pitches three scoreless innings.

“Kadence pitched an excellent game, she put the ball where we asked her to put the ball, she worked her pitches,” Hartsock-Williams said. “This is only going to help her grow. So, we’re going to help her. I mean, she’s a freshman for goodness’ sake. So, to come in and do that, that’s tough, mentally.”

No more runners crossed home plate for the remainder of the contest. For the Hawks, it was excellent defensive play that kept them in the game.

The Hawks ended the fifth with a great double play started by eighth grader Morgyn Bender in left field. Bender dove for the ball, catching it and making a throw to eighth grader Olivia Swartzendruber covering second base for the double play. Without the Bender dive, the Pointers would have increased their lead.

“We’ve been telling [Morgyn] she’s capable of diving plays all season, so it was awesome to see her do that. She’s a very athletic eighth grader,” Hartsock-Williams said. “We know she can cover ground and she proved it to herself.” 

In the sixth inning, sophomore Brylee Gearhart stepped up big. Gearhart entered the game with Knebel exiting the batting order. Gearhart had only seen action in three games so far this season. She was patient at the plate, watching three balls come through before taking a swing and missing. On a 3-1 count, Gearhart singled for her third hit of the year, sparking some life in the dugout. 

“That’s clutch. When you’ve been out on the outside of the dugout timing the pitcher, knowing you might get the opportunity, she went out there and made sure she was ready to step right in,” Hartsock-Williams said. “She didn’t just sit in the dugout and not pay attention. She’s just a great hitter so I am not surprised she got that line drive.”

An error allowed Sellers to reach as well. The Pointers would steal back the momentum with a great play by their third basemen, robbing Schrader of a hit and potential RBI on the third base foul line. 

The Hawks tried with all their might in the top of the seventh.

Swartzendruber struck out on a 3-2 count after a great at-bat. Senior Molly Yoder, threatening with a bunt, eventually popped up. With two outs, Mitchell forced a walk, reaching for the fourth time in the game. Jehle would end things with an infield pop-up as the tying run. 

“We’re disappointed. We want more. In order to feel like we’ve made progress, this game needs to be won,” Hartsock-Williams said. We wanted it as much as they did and again, you got to give credit to our fight. We never gave up. So, that’s learning, that’s growing.”

There will always be better days. The season comes to a close but there were many positives throughout the season. Hartsock-Williams wanted her team to face off against the very best all year and thought the team’s ability to compete was a constant reminder of improvement.

“I’m super proud of these girls. We could have made a schedule where we look real good and felt real good about ourselves, but we didn’t do that,” Hartsock-Williams said. “Our goal is to get to that state tournament and to do that, we have to elevate our game and these girls did that.”

The team will greatly miss the speed, defense and leadership of both seniors, Yoder and Schrader. 

“I can’t say enough about these two girls with our up and down season. Every single time we had a down, those girls made sure everybody got up, every single time. They never let anybody wallow,” Hartsock-Williams said. “This year, I put them through a lot. We took no breaks. I’m putting them up against four and five A competition and those girls embraced it. You can’t get better leaders than Molly and Madeline.”

Of the current roster, only one athlete will be a senior in the following year, that being Sellers. Because the team loaded up their schedule with tough games and tournaments, they will have a great deal more experience next season and hope to keep progressing. 

One thing is for certain, the season may be over, but the Golden Hawks are not done making noise.