Heers smashes 20th career HR as Vikings dominate Indians 13-1

For the first time since 2021, Cape softball beat Indian River, sailing to a 13-1 victory in five innings over their southern rival April 8 and breaking from the recent tradition of close games.

“We've seen them over the years and we stepped into the game, knowing what their defense and offense looked like,” Abigail Marsh said. “We just came at them.”

The senior was in the circle for the Vikings and stayed locked in for all five frames she had to toss. Marsh struck out eight and only gave up one walk. She limited IR’s offense to just one hit in the one-run performance. Marsh said having a great defense behind her gave her the confidence to shut down a normally high-powered offense.

Despite having to stare down a bright sun and navigate strong winds, Cape remained focused on having their ace’s back.

“It's cold, it's windy, but when we're out there on the field, that's not really in our minds,” Ava Calciano said. “The conditions are something that we put aside to battle through.”

Calciano recorded her 100th career assist in the game defensively and set the table for the Vikings on offense. As the leadoff batter, she reached all four times, collected three hits, swiped three bags and drove in two runs.

“I try not to think too much when I get up in the box; I try and stay calm, confident and collected,” Calciano said. “Just keep that mentality of yes, yes, yes, and attack the ball.”

The senior shortstop reached base by being plucked in the first inning, eventually leading to the Vikings loading the bases; however, IR escaped unscathed, a plus for the home team. Cape seemed to have a short memory, though.

“We're confident in each other, we're confident in our offense and even though we left bases loaded, I think that we picked ourselves up and knew that it wasn't OK, but we were gonna get more opportunities,” Calciano said.

The bottom of the lineup came through for the Vikings in the second inning when Abigail Crouch singled in Eden Frederick. Calciano backed up her belief with an RBI single of her own, driving in Crouch. Melina Buehler scored Cape’s third run of the inning when Alivia Heers hit a sacrifice fly.

“We really worked as a team: we all did little things to get on base, and then we would have a big hit to get us all around,” Heers said.

Cape resumed scoring in the third inning when Bri Windish doubled in Frederick and Jordynn Bowe with one out in the third inning. Windish came around to score after Crouch reached safely on an error. Calciano notched her second RBI with a single that plated Buehler to expand the Vikings’ lead to 7-1 heading into the fourth inning.

Frederick picked up an RBI in the fourth for Cape’s only run in the frame. The scoring party broke out in the fifth inning when, up 8-1, Heers bashed a no-doubt, three-run shot into center field to give the Vikings an 11-1 lead and the catcher her 20th career home run. 

“Honestly, I was up there, just [thinking] ‘Bat on ball, bat on ball,’” Heers said.

Bowe sweetened the pot two at-bats later with a one-run double, and Frederick nabbed her second RBI of the game to give Cape a 13-1 victory against a formidable opponent

“I was very, very happy with it; Indian River has been a quality program for many, many years, so you're going to get the best from them,” coach Mike Tkach said. “For us to be able to do that is saying something.”

Cape’s strong start to the week continued with a 19-2 win at Dover April 9. Bowe and senior Hayden Hudson led the team with 3 RBIs while Windish went yard in the five-inning, offensive explosion.