Bench comes up big in Central softball sweep
TUCSON, ARIZONA— Tackling one of the biggest names on the Tucson Invitational Games schedule and suddenly missing two top-of-the-lineup cogs, the Central College softball team could have hit the skids.
Instead, the Dutch hit the gas.
Central (7-3) knocked off the University of Texas-Dallas 7-3, then made quick work of MacMurray University (Ill.) 15-4 in five innings.
Against highly regarded Texas-Dallas (11-9), Central took an early 2-0 lead, only to lose starting shortstop Daria Parchert (sophomore, Illinois City, Ill, Rockridge HS) and left fielder Shaye Witte (junior, West Des Moines, Waukee HS) to injuries. Earlier, third baseman Lauren Bagby (senior, Norwalk) was dropped to the No. 9 spot in the order, nursing an injury of her own.
But pitcher Mariah Fritz (senior, Tama, East Marshall HS), subdued some early Texas-Dallas threats, and a patchwork Central lineup mustered two runs in the fifth inning and three in the sixth to pull out arguably its biggest win of the 11-day trip.
“It was a challenge,” coach George Wares said. “We lost two really good defensive players, not to mention what they do offensively. It didn’t look good and I do think a lot of teams would have had a major letdown there. But I thought that the players responded.”
Freshman Lauren Birt (Anken, Centennial HS), thrust into the shortstop spot and batting with a narrow 2-1 advantage in the fifth, roped a key RBI hit into left field.
“I thought Lauren Birt was really good,” Wares said. “I’m not going to say we expected it, but we’ve seen her a lot. We’ve seen her play in high school, we’ve seen her in camp and we’ve seen her here. We have a pretty high ceiling for her in what we think she can be. She’s just not quite there in terms of college maturity, but she handled a pretty tough situation today both at the plate and defensively.”
Meanwhile, catcher Kylie Olson (senior, Mapleton, Minn., Maple River HS) drove in two runs with a pair of pivotal hits, as did center fielder Sara Tallman (junior, Pella).
“(Olson’s hit) was real clutch,” Wares said. “She’s playing really well defensively and playing with real confidence. She also knows what she is offensively and she plays within herself.”
Central Dutch Athletics
Fritz (3-3) was tagged for 12 hits but limited the Comets to three runs while walking two and striking out six.
Wares was impressed with Texas-Dallas.
“They’re very athletic,” he said. “They can swing it and they have some speed. I thought we handled it well outside of the one inning when they got a little two-out stuff going. I’m happy with how we played.”
The lopsided MacMurray win gave the Dutch a much-needed opportunity to let additional new faces onto the field and provide rest to those who needed it. MacMurray (0-6) struck for two runs in the first inning, but Central seized command with six runs in the second inning and eight in the third. The Dutch hammered out 13 hits and took advantage of six MacMurray errors as they created havoc on the basepaths, stealing seven bases, including two by Paige Roehlk (sophomore, Davenport, West HS), who had two hits and three RBIs in getting a shot as the designated player. Tallman had three hits and scored two runs, giving her five hits on the day and raising her season average to .472. Second baseman Kaitlyn Andresen (junior, Davenport, Assumption HS) had two hits as she maintained the team’s top season average at .484 while Birt had two hits and scored twice.
Danielle Riley (senior, Afton, East Union HS) improved to 4-0, giving up two runs on three hits in three innings, while reliever Lauren Shirley (junior, Queen Creek, Ariz., Seton Catholic HS) threw the final two frames, allowing two unearned tallies.
“Paige Roehlk had a nice day,” Wares said. “I thought it was nice for Meredith Mohoney (freshman, Downers Grove, Ill., South HS) and Maci Fritz (sophomore, Tama, South Tama HS) to get a hit. We had a lot of people get to play and play well when they got that chance.”
Central closes the Tucson trip Wednesday, meeting Huntington College (Ind.) at 9 a.m. and Centre College (Ky.) at 11 a.m. Huntington is an NAIA foe, so the result will not factor into NCAA Division III tournament berth considerations.
