VIENNA — With districts just around the corner, the Vienna Lady Eagles wrapped up their final week of the regular season looking every bit like a team ready to make a deep postseason run.

On Oct. 9, the Lady Eagles traveled to Iberia to take on the Rangers in a 5 p.m. matchup. Despite outhitting their opponent, Vienna fell 12–4, a score that didn’t quite reflect how well the Eagles swung the bats.

Vienna racked up an impressive 10 hits on the day, led by junior standout Ella Hollis, who went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate. Hollis launched a towering home run over the left-field fence in the bottom of the third to give Vienna a brief 2–1 lead. She followed it up with three singles, continuing what has been a breakout season for her.

Senior Aubrey Schwartze turned in another solid performance as well, going 2-for-4 and driving the ball with confidence.

While Vienna’s offense found its rhythm, Iberia capitalized on timely hits and defensive execution. The Rangers tallied nine hits to Vienna’s ten but made them count, pushing across runs in nearly every inning. Iberia opened the scoring in the second and never looked back, taking advantage of walks and defensive miscues to build momentum.

For Vienna, freshman pitcher Liberty Rowden was given the reins on the mound. The promising young arm battled through six innings, allowing 12 runs, seven of them earned, on nine hits. It was her first outing of the season without a recorded strikeout, though she showed composure and resilience against a disciplined Iberia lineup.

Iberia’s starter, Paylyn Devore, held her own in the circle, scattering eight hits and three earned runs across six innings while her defense backed her up with two key double plays that halted Vienna rallies.

The Lady Eagles now shift their focus to the postseason, where they’ll open district play on Oct. 15 against South Callaway. A win would send them on to rounds two and three, with hopes of carrying their offensive momentum, and Hollis’ hot bat, into a deep playoff push. The team sits in sixth place out of seventh. The lady eagles will play the third ranked seed, Fatima first. If successful they will then take on New Bloomfield or South Callaway, depending on who wins that game.

On a side note, Linn as the first seed in the district has a first round bye and will not play on Wednesday. In addition, Co-captain and shortstop Aubrey Rehmert met with St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith on Columbus day for the opening of a sports complex in Belle called OutKast sports facility.