Central extends softball streak with Tenboer slam
Central College
TUCSON, ARIZ.—The Central College softball team is beginning to hit its stride.
After a couple of rocky opening-day losses, the Dutch winning streak reached six Monday with the most impressive of its four days at the Tucson Invitational Games, rocking No. 19-rated Wis.-La Crosse 10-1 in five innings and toppling a talented La Verne (Calif.) squad, 5-4.
“We knew we were not as bad as we looked on the first day, but we’ve made tremendous progress,” said coach George Wares, who thought Monday’s twinbill was the toughest his club would face in Arizona. “We wore out a little at the end today, but these were gutsy wins.”
No. 7-ranked Central pounded out 10 hits against Wis.-La Crosse, none bigger than a fourth-inning grand slam by first baseman Katie Tenboer (senior, Morrison, Ill.), who tied her own school record with six RBIs in the game. She also drove in six at Buena Vista last April 5. Tenboer was 3-for-3 in Monday’s opener. She has 11 RBIs in eight games and her batting average soared to .455.
The Dutch also got a two-run single by second baseman Angela Davis (junior, West Des Moines, Valley HS) in the second inning. Left fielder Bethany Koskamp (senior, Cedar Rapids, Kennedy HS) drove in a run in the fifth and was on base three times.
Pitcher Kiley Lythberg (senior, Mount Prospect, Ill., Prospect HS) recorded both victories, raising her record to 3-1. She threw three shutout innings in the five-inning opener, giving up two hits and striking out two. Lythberg came back in the nightcap, allowing two runs on three hits with three walks and three strikeouts over seven innings. She left the game for two batters in the sixth inning before returning to nail down the win. Rhianna Fleetwood (sophomore, Sycamore, Ill.) and Brie Haycraft (freshman, Eldridge, North Scott HS) saw action in the circle on the day as well.
“Out pitching is much more consistent than it was Friday,” Wares said. “Rhianna and Brie are picking it up a notch and I’m pretty confident that with a little more work, both will give us some solid innings down the road.”
The La Verne contest was a battle. The Dutch took command early with three runs in the third inning. Davis, who had three hits in the game, delivered an RBI single. Central extended the lead to 5-0 in the fifth as Davis singled and scored. Catcher Caitlyn Meyer (sophomore, Newton) and designated player Rachael Everingham (junior, Georgetown, Ill., Georgetown-Ridge Farm HS) each had RBI hits in the inning. Everingham was on base three times in the game with two singles and a walk. She’s hitting a team-high .538, reminiscent of her production as a freshman in 2009, when she earned all-America distinction.
But Central saw its lead melt to 5-4 when La Verne’s Dee Dee Burns belted a grand slam in the sixth inning. When Lythberg returned later in the inning, the Leopards advanced the potential tying run to second base but the Dutch defense delivered a crucial double play. Tenboer made a tag at first base on a throw that was a bit wide after a ground ball to shortstop, then fired a strike to third baseman Rachel Whiteside (senior, Sheffield, Ill., Bureau Valley HS) for an out when the runner tried to advance from second. Lythberg then retired the Leopards in order in the seventh.
“Our defense is getting better,” Wares said. “Offensively the only difference from the first day is that now we’re taking advantage of scoring opportunities. We ran ourselves out of a couple of innings today but overall our aggressiveness is paying off for us.”
After eight games in four days, the Dutch have another eight games in Tucson ahead, but not before taking a day off Tuesday.
“I think everybody’s ready for a day off, including the coaching staff,” Wares said. “We knew the front part of our schedule out here was going to be difficult. Now we just have to find ways to keep getting better. We want to improve each game.”
Central returns Wednesday for a first-ever meeting with Husson (Maine) at 3 p.m. (Iowa time) and a 7 p.m. contest with Schreiner (Texas). Husson, a 2010 NCAA Division III tournament participant, opened its season in Tucson Sunday. Schreiner is 3-9.
