Burnett grab helps secure Central softball sweep
PELLA—The Central College softball team peppered the field with 19 hits in two games Tuesday, but it took the glove of third baseman Franie Burnett (junior, Ankeny, Centennial HS) to secure a doubleheader sweep of Buena Vista University.
After a 9-0, five-inning runaway in the opener, the 20th-ranked Dutch (27-5 overall, 8-2 American Rivers) escaped 6-5 in the nightcap.
A two-run sixth-inning home run cut a once-comfortable Central lead to 6-5. And when speedy Buena Vista leadoff hitter Paige Druskis drew a walk to open the seventh inning, the Dutch advantage was suddenly on shaky ground.
Coach George Wares re-entered starting pitcher Emma Beck (freshman, Holland, Grundy Center HS), replacing reliever Morgan Schaben (senior, Portsmouth, Harlan HS). On Beck’s first pitch, Rylee Cain blooped a sacrifice bunt attempt. Druskis took off for second base to potentially put the game-tying run in scoring position as the ball appeared to be out of Burnett’s reach—to everyone but Burnett.
She dove to her left, stretching her 4-foot-11 frame to make the catch, then fired to first base from her knees to double up Druskis.
Crisis averted.
“That was a highlight-reel play,” coach George Wares said. “I don’t know if it saved the game, but it took them out of their scoring chance and made it a lot more comfortable pitching to the next hitter.
“She was playing where she was supposed to, read it off the bat and just made a decision (to dive). A lot of people would have said the wrong decision because if she dives and doesn’t get it, they’ve got first and second and nobody out. But she was going for it and made a heck of a catch. I can’t blame the runner for thinking it was down.”
Buena Vista (5-25 overall, 1-11 conference) jumped on top 2-0 in the top of the first but Central got single tallies in the first two innings, then added two runs in the third and two more in the fourth. The Dutch outhit Buena Vista 11-6 in the game and got three hits from center fielder Emma Johnson (senior, Davenport, Assumption HS) along with two hits from designated player Emma Lenox (sophomore, Fremont, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont HS), who rocketed a two-run double to left-center in the fourth inning. Second baseman Haley Bach (sophomore, Council Bluffs, Lewis Central HS) also had two hits to go with a pair of hits in the first game.
Beck improved to 9-0, throwing 85 pitches over six innings, allowing three runs on four hits with a walk and six strikeouts. Schaben gave up two runs on two hits with two walks and a pair of strikeouts in one inning.
Schaben also threw an inning of relief in the opener, allowing a hit and a walk. Sydni Huisman (senior, Treynor) needed just 53 pitches to navigate four innings of shutout ball, giving up three hits and a walk while fanning three to raise her record to 13-3.
“Our pitchers have pitched so well but they just weren’t quite as sharp as they have been,” Wares said. “But they know it.
“It’s nice to say they had an off day when they still didn’t let them score in the first game and pitched out of some trouble in game two.”
After the lopsided win in the opener, the Dutch needed to be on guard for a letdown, particularly in the American Rivers where every foe is ready to pounce.
“Probably between games, all of us, including coaches, maybe got a little complacent,” Wares said. “We’ve been really good either coming off a loss and bouncing back or taking a win and carrying it on, and today we didn’t do that. We weren’t real sharp in the second game and we were fortunate, but the bottom line is we got a win.”
First baseman Megan Stuhr (junior, Sigourney) had two hits and a walk in the opener while right fielder Emma Jensen (sophomore, Earlham) had two hits and drove in four runs. She had three hits with five RBIs, three runs scored and a stolen base on the day, continuing her recent offensive emergence.
“Good for her,” Wares said. “She’s become pretty consistent and, again, made a couple of plays in right field.”
Bach was on base six times, sending her batting percentage to a lofty .587, and scored three runs, giving her 46 for the year, six shy of Abbey Strajack’s 2015 school record. Bach entered the day ranking second in the NCAA Division III in runs per game and sixth in on-base percentage.
It will be a top-25 match-up when Central travels to Cedar Rapids Saturday for a 1 p.m. conference twinbill at No. 17-ranked Coe College. The Kohawks are alone in first in the conference at 11-1 and are 29-5 overall after splitting two games at Grinnell College Tuesday, winning 9-2 and stumbling 5-2.
The Dutch travel from there to St. Paul, Minnesota for a non-conference doubleheader at St. Catherine University (Minn.) Sunday.
“This is a pretty big weekend we’ve got coming and then take it into midweek next week when we play Luther and it’s a big week,” Wares said. “But we’re in a spot where we still control our destiny and that’s where you want to be when you get to the latter part of the season.”
