Lady Reds defeat Spartans 3-1 in state ranked top 5 matchup

MISSOURI VALLEY – If Tuesday night’s showdown between No. 3 Class 1A Exira-EHK/Audubon and No. 4 Class 2A Missouri Valley was any indication, the Western Iowa Conference may prove to be one of the toughest softball leagues in the state.
With conference championship implications on the line and two of the four ranked teams in Classes 1A and 2A from the conference squaring off, the contest had all the makings of a postseason matchup. 
In the end, Missouri Valley freshman Paityn West delivered the decisive blows, hitting two home runs to lift the Lady Reds to a 3-1 victory over the Spartans. The game featured an abundance of star power.
West entered the contest among the conference leaders in ERA, strikeouts and wins while also leading the conference in home runs. 
Across the diamond stood Exira-EHK/Audubon’s Riley Miller, a junior who also ranked among the conference leaders in wins, strikeouts and ERA while serving as one of the Spartans’ top offensive threats.
The Spartans also featured conference batting average leader Taryn Petersen, giving Wednesday’s matchup the feel of a battle between some of Western Iowa’s  best players.
Missouri Valley wasted little time grabbing momentum in the contest.
After Miller retired the first batter of the game on a line drive to center field, the Lady Reds put a runner aboard with a single. 
West then stepped to the plate and launched a two-run home run to left field to give Missouri Valley an early 2-0 lead.
The Spartans had opportunities to answer early but were unable to break through until the third inning.
After Jordan Mulford and Petersen helped create traffic on the bases, Miller delivered in a key moment. 
The junior lined a two-out single through the right side, scoring Petersen and cutting the Missouri Valley lead to 2-1. The Spartans appeared poised for even more.
Bryli Petersen drew a walk to load the bases with two outs, giving Exira-EHK/Audubon a chance to take control of the game. 
Instead, Missouri Valley escaped the inning with a pickoff at third base, ending the threat and preserving its one-run advantage.
For Spartan Head Coach Tom Petersen, that moment illustrated the importance of execution against a quality opponent.
“The thing we talked about prior to the game today was we have to have execution in every phase,” Petersen said.
“We had bases juiced and we can’t have one of those pickoff plays like that in that situation, especially with the batters we have that are there. You can maybe get away with that with an average softball team you’re playing against but not against this caliber.”
The missed opportunity became even more significant in the bottom half of the inning.
West came to the plate once again and delivered her second home run of the night, extending Missouri Valley’s lead to 3-1. 
The blast gave the freshman her conference-leading ninth home run of the season and accounted for all three Lady Red runs.
While West provided the offensive firepower, Miller kept the Spartans within striking distance throughout the evening.
The junior worked six innings in the circle, striking out six batters and allowing just three runs against one of the state’s top-ranked teams. 
Outside of West’s two home runs, Miller largely controlled the Missouri Valley lineup and repeatedly worked out of trouble.
Petersen was impressed with what he saw from his ace.“She was phenomenal in the circle,” Petersen said. 
“She probably had double-digit strikeouts or close to it. She’s had a couple of days rest, so that’s to be expected. When I watch her perform like she did tonight, there’s nothing else to say. I thought she threw outstanding.”
The Lady Reds’ pitching staff was equally effective, limiting a Spartan lineup that features the conference’s leading hitter in Petersen and several other dangerous bats.
Exira-EHK/Audubon continued to battle late. Abby Wanser opened the seventh inning with a single and Mulford drew a two-out walk to bring Petersen to the plate. 
However, Missouri Valley recorded a strikeout to end the game and secure the conference victory.
Despite scoring just one run, Petersen felt his team had opportunities offensively if it had remained more selective at the plate.“Just at times you have to be aggressive,” Petersen said.
“One of the things I had said to them, I don’t know if it was the fourth inning, we were swinging at her pitches, which is what you can’t do. You have to swing at her mistakes. A lot of times she’s throwing her drop ball 2-0 and we are up there swinging at those, so you have to make sure you’re still getting your pitch so you can drive it.”
Even in defeat, Petersen walked away encouraged by his team’s effort against one of the state’s top programs.
“We played well. That was a hell of a softball game,” Petersen said. 
“There were just two hits, which were two home runs, and if you were to ask Riley and coach and myself, two great pitches. That’s just a better piece of hitting, so hats off to them with what they did.”
The game also served as another valuable test for a Spartan team that has challenged itself throughout the season. 
Exira-EHK/Audubon has already faced Atlantic, Logan-Magnolia twice, Riverside twice and now Missouri Valley twice, giving the Spartans experience against some of western Iowa’s best competition.
Petersen believes those games will benefit his team as postseason play approaches.
“Hopefully it helps you. You’re seeing quality pitching, you’re going up against a quality team, you know, it should help out,” Petersen said. 
“Postseason is still a little bit away, so we’ll go back. We have a game tomorrow and hopefully bounce back. We need a practice. We’ll have a good practice on Thursday. We need to go over some things base-running wise, mistakes that we’d also made last night, things we can correct, which is a positive.”
Tuesday’s matchup showcased exactly why both programs are viewed as legitimate contenders in their respective classes. 
The Spartans had a quick turn-around as they returned to the diamond on Wednesday night for a contest against Ar-We-Va.