Seventh-inning magic lifts Central softball team again
Central College
TUCSON, ARIZ.—Catcher Caitlyn Meyer (junior, Newton) saw an opportunity and took a chance.
The result was a stunning, game-ending, bases-loaded double play that gave the No. 9 Central College softball team a memorable 5-4 triumph over a talented Trinity University (Texas) squad Friday. Earlier the Dutch (12-2) took care of Dickinson College (Pa.) 8-0 in five innings.
Some daring Central baserunning resulted in two runs in the top of the seventh inning against Trinity, good for a 5-3 lead. But Trinity (10-7), which had knocked off No. 5 Texas-Tyler Tuesday, used four hits in the bottom of the seventh to cut the lead to one and had the bases loaded with one out, a hit away from winning the game. Then coach George Wares made what seemed like an inconsequential switch that proved pivotal, moving strong-armed right fielder Emily Te Brink (junior, Le Mars) to left field. On the next pitch Trinity second baseman Chrissy Armstrong hit a fly ball to Te Brink in left and Te Brink fired a dart to Meyer at the plate, causing the runner at third to retreat back to the base. But Meyer spied Trinity’s baserunner at first base drifting far off the bag. With the potential tying and winning runs aboard, Meyer wheeled and fired to first baseman Kyrie Hale (senior, Lee’s Summit, Mo., West HS) for the dramatic final out.
Wares said that Armstrong was a slap hitter who was likely to hit the ball to the left side, prompting his move of Te Brink.
“It wasn’t that difficult of a choice,” Wares said. “She’s a good outfielder and she’s got the strongest arm. She made a great throw but the big play was by Caitlyn (Meyer), and then Kyrie Hale was aware enough at first base to be in position to make the play. Their baserunner made a mistake but it wasn’t an easy play. We still had to make the play to capitalize on that mistake.”
Central’s rally in the top of the seventh was equally surprising. The Dutch had mustered just four hits in the first six innings but Meyer opened the seventh with a single. Three batters later, shortstop Annie Sarcone (sophomore, Des Moines, Dowling Catholic HS) was at second base and Hale, who drew a two-out walk, was at first. Wares made another gamble and called for the speedy Te Brink to lay down a bunt, which she beat out for a single to advance the runners a base—except that Sarcone kept running and slid home with the lead run all the way from second. Then the Trinity catcher tried to catch Hale heading to third, but the throw was bobbled by the third baseman, long enough for Hale to race home just ahead of the tag.
“We were rolling the dice but thought it was our best opportunity for Emily to bunt and we just kept Annie going,” Wares said. “She made a great slide at home. But the biggest part of the play was the trail runner. We’ve told our players forever that good baserunning is not just speed, it’s being smart, and Kyrie is an extremely smart baserunner. That obviously turned out to be a pretty important run.”
Sophomore pitcher Brie Haycraft (Eldridge, North Scott HS) emerged the winner and is 4-1. She threw 6.2 innings, yielding four runs on nine hits with three walks—two intentional—and three strikeouts. Freshman Mallory Schulenberg (Kansas City, Mo., St. Pius X HS) faced two batters and recorded one out in the seventh before Haycraft returned.
Wares said Haycraft threw well but the biggest difficulty was dealing with Trinity’s lightning-quick runners.
“They have as much team speed as we’re likely to see all year,” he said. “There are no easy outs. But Brie pitched us out of a lot of tough spots.”
Haycraft forced Trinity to leave the bases loaded in the third inning and the fifth, getting a big strikeout to end the latter threat. But Central stranded 10 baserunners. Second baseman Angela Davis (senior, West Des Moines, Valley HS) had a run-scoring triple. Meyer had two of Central’s six hits.
Central made quick work of Dickinson (4-7). In a game that lasted just one hour, five minues, the Dutch scored eight runs on seven hits. Freshman first baseman Abbey Strajack (Davenport, Assumption HS) had three hits, two RBIs and scored two runs. Schulenberg tossed a two-hit shutout, walking none and striking out two to improve to 4-0.
“I thought we were very businesslike,” Wares said. “Mallory threw pretty well and it was a situation where she maintained her intensity even though we had the game in hand.”
Central wraps up its 16-game Arizona trip Saturday, meeting Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) at 3:30 p.m. (Central Time) and Dickinson State (N.D.) at 5:30 p.m. An audio webcast of the Gustavus Adolphus game can be accessed through www.kniakrls.com.
