JAMESTOWN - If Monday's opener for the area softball season is any indication, we're in for quite a fall.
Though Jamestown fired the opening salvo with a four-run first inning, Russellville slowly clawed its way back, eventually tying the game in the sixth inning before getting a big seventh frame to earn an 11-6 victory.
Trailing 6-5 entering the final inning, Russellville got a leadoff triple from Erica Schweer. That set the tone and singles from Hannah Mueller, Sidney Mehrhoff and McKendra Fisher combined with three Jamestown errors to allow six runs to cross for the visiting Indians.
"It feels wonderful," Russellville head coach Trisha Volkart said. "It's been a few seasons since we've started off with a win. I'm so proud of these girls. There were several lead changes, but they stayed positive and they didn't get down on themselves."
Though Russellville played much of the game from behind, the Indians started off with a bang as Alli Harris scorched a leadoff triple to begin the ballgame. Harris came around on Libby Mueller's single in the next at-bat, but Jamestown answered immediately with four hits of its own.
Leadoff hitter Chiane Harlan got on with a bunt single, and was driven in two batters later on Cara Sheperle's RBI double. Jessica Coonce and Sierra Cooper also each had RBI knocks to get the Eagles off and running.
Down 4-1 early, Russellville used the middle innings to chip away. Offensively, the Indians were buoyed by Fisher and Schweer in the heart of the order. Fisher finished the game with four hits, three runs and an RBI, while Schweer drove in three runs on the strength of two extra base hits.
"(I told them) focus on one pitch at a time, have quality at-bats and not chase anything offensively," Volkart said. "Defensively, they worked together and picked each other up. They truly played as a team tonight."
While Fisher and Schweer kept Russellville afloat at the dish, it was freshman pitcher Hannah Malzner who kept Jamestown's own hitters at bay. After a rough two innings where she allowed four hits, three walks and five runs, Malzner settled in completely with a trio of perfect innings.
Taking the mound in the bottom of the sixth in a 5-5 game, three walks by Malzner allowed the Eagles to forge ahead once more, but after the Indians regained the lead in the top of the seventh, she threw a scoreless bottom half to finish off the complete game win.
"(Hannah) came out a little jittery," Volkart said. "She was nervous, which is understandable, but she kept her composure, kept working through her changeup and got it to work beautifully several times.
"Once that kind of fell into place, she felt comfortable with her other pitches. She did a really good job tonight."
The Eagles got a complete game performance of their own from Alyssa Reynolds. Offensively, Coonce turned in a two-hit, two-RBI performance to lead the way, but Jamestown lacked the firepower at the dish overall to put away Russellville when it had the early lead.
"We're young, we're looking for some experience and I think we got some of that tonight," Jamestown coach E.H. Hirschvogel. "I thought we did some really positive things and I thought we did a lot of things that we're going to be able to work on in practice this week.
"Russellville did what they were supposed to do. Russellville came out, hit the ball hard and played good defense, so they got the win and we didn't."