Brooklynn Fischer’s first victory over the Wright City Wildcats on Sept. 9 was one she will never forget.
The Montgomery County senior not only reached the 500-strikeout mark for her high school softball career, but she also delivered the game-winning run in the Wildcats’ come-from-behind, 3-2 victory over Wright City in nine innings at the MCHS softball field.
After the game, MCHS coach Audra Heimer made Fischer a poster that said, “Brooklynn Fischer 500 Strikeouts.”
“I’m pretty proud of myself,” Fischer said.
Fischer finished with 13 strikeouts against Wright City. She got her 500th strikeout in the top of the ninth.
“I really didn’t know that I was close to 500 strikeouts,” Fischer said. “It was a little surprising. I was wondering why Heimer kept yelling on the field so long. It was pretty cool.”
In the bottom of the ninth, Fischer hit a single that drove home sophomore Lexy Veach for the winning run. Her hit helped the Wildcats snap a three-game losing streak to Wright City.
“I was kind of nervous when I went up to bat,” Fischer said. “I was pretty confident in myself. I got on base three or four other times, so I wasn’t super nervous. It felt good.”
The 500th strikeout against Wright City was one of many highlights in Fischer’s career at MCHS. She also threw two no-hitters, helped the Wildcats win a district championship in her freshman year and earned numerous all-Eastern Missouri Conference and all-district awards.
“She works hard,” MCHS senior catcher Sam Queathem said. “She’s a very talented pitcher. We have been pitching and catching together since seventh grade, when we played Khoury League together.”
With Wright City leading 2-0 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Queathem hit a two-run homer to tie the game and send the contest to extra innings, giving Fischer an opportunity to reach her milestone and help her team win the game.
“We stayed in the game,” Queathem said. “From there, we kept playing. I think that brought us a lot of momentum to finish out the game, which we ended up doing and Brooklynn led us to the win.”
Queathem said in every game, she always tries to keep Fischer focused on the mound.
“I always try to keep her in the game because she is the most important out there,” Queathem said. “She is the one pitching to everyone. If we don’t have her, then we have nothing. She’s well-rounded and she can always get the job done.”
Last year, Fischer finished with a career-high 185 strikeouts and hit .585 with eight home runs and 23 RBIs. She was named on the all-EMO, all-district and all-region teams.
On Aug. 31, she tossed her second no-hitter in the Wildcats’ 20-0 road victory over Hermann. She finished with eight strikeouts.
“I wasn’t really worried about my no-hitter or anything,” said Fischer, who pitched her first no-hitter last year against Paris. “I was trying to play my game. It was pretty exciting. My goal was to pitch a good game.”
Fischer has finalized her college plans. She verbally committed to play for Quincy University next year.
“It’s very relieving,” Fischer said. “I’m not as stressed out anymore. I don’t feel like there’s a weight in my shoulders anymore. Now, it’s just like I can play to have fun. I was having fun before, but it was a little stressful trying to figure out what college to go to because I’m going to be there for the next few years.”
Fischer and the Wildcats will play their final home game on Sept. 30 against Louisiana. They will wrap up their regular season with a tournament in La Plata on Oct. 2 and road games against Elsberry on Oct. 5 and New Haven on Oct. 7.
As her senior season at MCHS comes down to its final weeks, Fischer has one simple goal.
“I’m just going to relax and have fun,” Fischer said. “It’s my senior year and my last year, so I’m not going to be stressed out about it. I’m just going to enjoy myself.”
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