Central softball team stumbles on opening day
Central College
TUCSON, ARIZ.—Opening day is eagerly awaited but for the Central College softball team Friday it was one it wants to quickly forget.
The No. 7-rated Dutch stumbled out of the gate, dropping a 4-3 decision to unheralded Pitt-Bradford (Pa.), then enduring a nightmarish 5-run sixth inning in a 5-1 loss to St. Mary’s (Minn.).
The Pitt-Bradford contest was a struggle from the start as the Dutch left the bases loaded in the top of the first. Starting pitcher Rhianna Fleetwood (sophomore, Sycamore, Ill.) surrendered a three-run homer in the third inning, but Central appeared to regain its footing. First baseman Katie Tenboer (senior, Morrison, Ill.) had an RBI single in the fifth and the Dutch tied it in the sixth. Pinch-hitter Trysh Shimak (senior, Cedar Rapids, Kennedy HS) delivered an RBI triple down the right-field line and center fielder Holly Von Fumetti (junior, Johnston) followed with a game-tying squeeze bunt.
But reliever Brie Haycraft (freshman, Eldridge, North Scott HS) suffered the loss in her collegiate debut as Pitt-Bradford (2-8) used three hits and an error for the winning run in the bottom of the seventh.
Senior pitcher Kiley Lythberg (Mount Prospect, Ill., Prospect HS) steadied the ship by tossing a perfect game for five innings against St. Mary’s (6-3). But the Dutch, who had the leadoff runner on in each of those five innings, mustered just one run as right fielder EmilyTe Brink (sophomore, Le Mars) singled and came home on Tenboer’s squeeze bunt in the fifth.
It all unraveled in the sixth as St. Mary’s combined three hits and two walks with three errors for five runs. Central put two runners on again in the seventh but couldn’t score. The Dutch had baserunners in all seven innings, stranding nine runners.
“Anytime you start a season with high expectations, you still never know how that first game is going to go,” coach George Wares said. “We talk a lot about defense and our defense didn’t play very well, but we put so much pressure on our defense because we had chances to put both games away and didn’t.”
Silver linings were scarce but Te Brink’s performance was encouraging. She showed promise early in her freshman year and Friday gave reason to believe she’ll deliver on that promise as a sophomore. Te Brink was on base seven times and was 4-for-4 in the nightcap.
“She was extremely good in the second game,” Wares said. “She had some very good at-bats.
“And I thought for five innings, Kiley (Lythberg) was incredibly sharp.”
The schedule does not offer any easy confidence-builders Saturday. The Dutch come back against Oneonta State (N.Y.) at 3 p.m. (Iowa time) Saturday before tackling highly regarded Southwestern (Texas) at 5 p.m.
“We can’t panic,” Wares said. “We have to look at what caused our problems. But we have a short turnaround time.”
An audio webcast of Saturday’s game with Oneonta State will be offered at 3 p.m. via www.kniakrls.com. The webcast can also be accessed through the Central athletics website at www.central.edu/athletics.
