Central locks up conference softball tourney title, NCAA berth
Central College
DECORAH — Looking to strengthen its position for an NCAA Division III tournament berth, the Central College softball team did that and much more Saturday, roaring past Dubuque 7-1 and No. 4-rated Luther College 8-2 to secure the Iowa Conference tournament crown.
That title gives the No. 16 Dutch (30-9) an automatic berth in the 62-team tournament and sends them into regional action next Friday at a site to be determined. The field will be announced Monday at 9 a.m. via a webcast through www.ncaa.com.
It’s Central’s 27th NCAA tourney berth in 30 seasons under coach George Wares, who won’t have to spend the remainder of the weekend pondering his club’s chances of gaining a precious at-large berth.
“It’s a big difference,” he said. “We’ve been looking at scores from conference tournaments across the country and there have been quite a few upsets. I felt pretty good about getting in after we beat Dubuque, but you never know.”
Now the Dutch do know, thanks to a pair of gritty pitching performances by Trisha Smith (junior, New Hampton) and Mallory Schulenberg (senior, Kansas City, Mo., St. Pius X HS) that delivered the program’s second league tournament crown since the event was reinstated in 2006. Central also took the title at Decorah in 2012.
Smith (12-1) threw five innings, giving up only an unearned run on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts. She left with the Dutch nursing a 3-1 lead, having scored all three runs in the third inning in typical Central fashion—without a hit. Three walks, a hit batter, a stolen base and an error did the job. The Dutch were limited to two hits in the first five frames.
Schulenberg notched her second save, allowing one hit in two innings with a walk and a strikeout.
The Dutch broke it open with four runs in the bottom of the sixth as the bats finally came to life.
Right fielder Sarah Bowen (junior, New Sharon, North Mahaska HS) and third baseman Whitney Sowers (senior, Marshalltown) each doubled home a run while pinch-hitter Abbie Voas (sophomore, Chanhassen, Minn.) delivered a run-scoring single.
Dubuque, which surprised third-seeded Simpson College in Friday’s first round, finished its season at 15-27.
Central kept its foot to the pedal in surprising regular-season league champ and tourney host Luther (36-4), using four hits and a Norse error for four first-inning runs. First baseman Kaitlyn Matzen (senior, Manly, Central Springs HS) had a run-scoring hit while designated player Karlee Rock (senior, Wheatland, Calamus-Wheatland HS) lined a two-run double.
Luther threatened to answer in the bottom of the first, loading the bases with one out with a walk, a single and an error, but Schulenberg clawed her way out of the jam. That kept Central in command and the Dutch stretched the advantage to 5-0 with Rock’s school-record 14th homer against the wind to left field in the third inning. Central was on the brink of ending it early, making it 8-0 in the fifth. Shortstop Paige Schreiner (junior, Ottumwa) and left fielder Tabitha Taylor (freshman, Grimes, Dallas Center-Grimes HS) had run-scoring hits.
But Central let Luther extend the game with an unearned run on two errors in the bottom of the fifth. Schulenberg closed the door after that, however. She limited the hard-hitting Norse to just one hit in the first six innings before settling for a three-hitter. Schulenberg walked two and struck out one.
“Mallory pitched well against a very good offensive team,” Wares said. “And she did a good job of coming in against Dubuque and keeping it at 3-1 before we finally broke it open. There was a lot of tension—at least among the coaches—in that game because that is one we had to get.”
Rock had three hits in the game and drove in three runs, giving her 53 RBIs for the year, breaking Annie Sarcone’s school mark of 51 set last year. Meanwhile, Strajack scored a run, the 146th of her career, to break the school mark of Kelly Harris (2005-08), who had 145.
While Luther was throwing its No. 2 and 3 pitchers, Annie Versnik and Topanga Skiles, Wares said it was still a solid showing for the Dutch bats. They pounded out 13 hits in the game and Versnik (10-1) suffered her first loss.
It was an uneven defensive effort for both squads, as Central committed four errors and Luther was charged with three. Yet Wares noted the Dutch delivered some glove gems as well, Particularly gratifying was the play of the Central outfield, which endured a rocky 10 days in the season-opening (Ariz.) Tucson Invitational Games but has since made remarkable strides. Taylor, a high school infielder, took away a Luther home run by snatching a ball above the left-field fence in the third inning Saturday.
“Tabitha made a great play and Sarah Bowen is really playing well,” Wares said. “Our outfield has gone from what seemed like one of the worst to pretty good. Sarah’s also playing well offensively. She’s swinging at better pitches and making better decisions. She’s got a better approach at the plate.”
The infield had its moments as well.
“Paige Schreiner is playing shortstop way above average,” Wares said.
The progress is evident—and continuing.
“The last six games we’ve played like veterans,” Wares said. “We’re getting more out of Trish (Smith) and getting really solid stuff from Mallory (Schulenberg).We’ve also got a lot of players giving us something offensively.”
And while Wares and his squad have their eyes firmly fixed on what lies ahead, he said the Dutch need to savor what they’ve accomplished.
“I’m really happy and I’m really proud of these players,” he said. “They’ve had to get through a lot this year.”
