Draped in a blue Clear Creek Amana softball uniform, junior Lizzie Pasbrig walked to the plate during the second game of a doubleheader against Mount Vernon on June 16.
With her mouth wired shut, the right-handed hitter dug her all-white cleats into the dirt as she faced off against the Mount Vernon pitcher.
About four weeks prior, Pasbrig suffered a broken jaw after a line drive struck the left side of her face, just beneath her face mask.
Pasbrig was limited to eight games entering CCA’s doubleheader after she split her jaw and cracked a wisdom tooth. She tallied three hits during that stretch.
Game two was scoreless in the first inning before the Pasbrig cranked a two-RBI single to open the scoring against Mount Vernon.
In total, Pasbring went 3-for-3 at the plate and powered the Clippers (15-3) to a 10-1 home win in five innings.
“I just couldn’t stay away from it,” Pasbrig said with a murmur. “It took a lot of convincing from the doctors to let me come back so quickly, but I’m definitely happy to be back.”
The Clippers dropped a 7-2 contest to Mount Vernon in game one, but piled on the runs in the second matchup to take home the win.
CCA junior Brenna Williams led things off with a single up the middle. After a sacrifice bunt by junior Elizabeth Timmerman advanced Williams to second base, Kyla Schulte hit a double to left field that put a pair of CCA runners in scoring position. Pasbrig made the Mustangs pay with her two-RBI single that dropped into left center field.
It gave CCA an early 2-0 lead in the first frame.
“It definitely is a huge advantage to get ahead early, and (Mount Vernon) showed it the (first) game,” Pasbrig said. “It’s just amazing to get ahead so quickly.”
The Clippers compiled four runs in the second inning. A Williams single, powered by a Mount Vernon error, plated a run before a Schulte double made it a 4-0 game. With runners in scoring position, Pasbrig brought in Timmerman with an RBI single. A Sadie Hebl hit brought Schulte home and extended CCA’s lead, 6-0.
The Mustangs managed to earn a run in the third, but the Clippers countered with four runs in the fourth frame to tarnish Mount Vernon’s hopes of a comeback. That scoring bug included a double by Pasbrig.
“It’s great to have her back because I struggled a lot with her (out),” Schulte said. “We’ve played together forever, and so it was really good to have her back in our lineup because it just feels like a part of our team was back together … she’s really strong; she came back really well from the injury.”
Pasbrig’s three-hit performance against the Mustangs defined the grit and determination that she brings to the circle for the CCA softball team. She’s a game changer, one not afraid to battle through injury and slice shots around the circle.
“She’s a gamer, that’s for sure,” said CCA coach Jodie Scheetz. “She’s been swinging the bat really well for us, so it’s good to have her back. Her going down definitely shook the team a lot, but they bounced back well. Pretty gritty team, so that’s fun to coach.”
Pasbrig’s love for CCA softball fueled her comeback from a broken jaw — a return that has energized the Clippers with every swing at the plate and pitch in the circle.
“It was really hard to sit out and watch because I’ve been playing the last three years with (CCA) … so I definitely had the extra pump to get up and get back in it,” Pasbrig said. “It just means the world playing with these guys and I just wanted to get back as quick as I could.”
Marc Ray is the high school sports reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. He can be reached at MARay@gannett.com , and on X, formerly Twitter, at @themarcszn.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Lizzie Pasbrig battles through broken jaw, leads CCA softball past Mount Vernon
Reporting by Marc Ray, Iowa City Press-Citizen / Iowa City Press-Citizen
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