Central rebounds after softball defense falters
Central College
TUCSON, ARIZ.—While the Central College softball team continues to show progress in several areas, consistency is not among them.
After a sharp outing in a 2-0 win over Wis.-La Crosse Thursday, the Dutch defense had a relapse, committing six errors as well as some costly mental miscues in seeing a 3-0 lead over Pacific Lutheran (Wash.) turn into an 11-3 Lutes’ five-inning rout. But Central rebounded with an 11-2 six-inning triumph over NAIA foe Valley City State University (N.D.).
The Dutch (12-5) jumped on top against highly regarded Pacific Lutheran, which has a deceptive 8-9 record largely due to a powerhouse schedule. In what’s become a daily staple of the Central offense, senior designated player Karlee Rock (Wheatland, Calamus-Wheatland HS) launched a three-run homer down the left-field line for a 3-0 first-inning lead. Pitcher Mallory Schulenberg (senior, Kansas City, Mo., St. Pius X HS) held the Lutes in check for two innings but it all came unhinged in a marathon third inning in which Central committed three errors and yielded five unearned runs.
With six runs over the next two innings, the verdict was determined.
“It’s really disappointing,” coach George Wares said. “I thought we took some good steps Thursday. Then today we had the lead and were the aggressors. But we just didn’t make routine plays. You can’t give that many outs to anybody and expect to win, let alone a good team like Pacific Lutheran.”
Schulenberg allowed six hits over four innings with eight runs, but all were unearned. She walked one and fanned four.
After a promising first inning, the Dutch managed just one hit over the last four frames.
But Central sprang to life against Valley City State (11-9). After three scoreless innings, the Dutch, it was Valley City State that provided some charity. An error, combined with six hits and the vintage Central running game resulted in a seven-run fourth-inning outburst. The Dutch extended the lead to 11-0 in the sixth, but committed two more errors that allowed two runs to score before ending the contest.
Third baseman Whitney Sowers (senior, Marshalltown) was 3-for-3 with a two-run double, while Rock also had an RBI double. Outfielders Sarah Bowen (sophomore, New Sharon, North Mahaska HS) and Shannon Coulson (senior, Bondurant, Bondurant-Farrar HS) each drove in two runs.
Central outhit the Vikings 10-4.
Trisha Smith (junior, New Hampton), who recorded the final out of the fifth inning against Pacific Lutheran, threw six innings with no earned runs, one walk and four strikeouts in improving to 6-1.
“It was nice that Trish was able to keep this one a little cleaner,” Wares said.
The Dutch had to make a quick turnaround following the frustrating opener.
“In basically 15 minutes we had to come back and go up against a team with two pretty good pitchers,” Wares said. “Overall offense is not our issue. We’re also running the bases exceptionally well, not only in terms of stolen bases but in making decisions and taking the extra base.”
Still, the Dutch had four more errors, for 10 on the day. The Dutch must resolve those defensive issues and Wares is confident they can. A good start, he said, would be getting speedy Paige Heesch (senior, Titonka, WCLT HS) back in center field. She’s been sidelined by injury throughout the week.
“We miss Paige Heesch, there’s no question about that,” Wares said.
In Heesch’s absence, Wares has juggled the Dutch outfield lineup and has put some players in unfamiliar roles. But improvement must come, he said, and that means more than physical progress.
“We’re making a lot of poor decisions, particularly in the outfield,” he said. “But everything is correctable.”
Central closes its 10-day Arizona trip Saturday, taking on Lewis and Clark (Ore.) at 11 a.m. (Pacific Time) and St. Joseph’s-Brooklyn (N.Y.) at 1:30 p.m.
“Lewis and Clark will be decent,” Wares said. “They play in the same league as Pacific Lutheran and Linfield (Ore.) so they’re not going to shy away from tough competition. They have a couple of big, strong kids pitching and will be a quality opponent.
“It’s the end of the trip so we’ll be a little tired but hopefully we can come back with enough energy to get two. If we could go 12-3 on the trip, we’d be happy with that.”
An audio webcast of the Lewis and Clark game will be available via www.kniakrls.com at approximately 1 p.m. (Central Time). The webcast can be accessed directly via rdo.to/knia2 .
