Central scraps for league softball split
Central Dutch Athletics
PELLA—In what was likely a preview of the rest of the obstacle-filled Iowa Conference schedule, Central College waged 16 innings of back-and-forth softball and came away with a hard-fought doubleheader split with Coe College Friday.
Catcher Emily Walton (senior, Cedar Rapids, Jefferson HS) rapped out six hits in the two games as the Dutch pulled out a 2-1 victory in the opener, only to drop a 7-5, nine-inning decision in the nightcap as Coe (11-9 overall, 1-1 conference) rallied for six runs in the final four frames.
No. 15-ranked Central (14-6 overall, 1-1 conference) got a rock-solid effort from pitcher Mariah Fritz (junior, Tama, East Marshall HS) in the opener as she limited the explosive Kohawk offense to a run on seven hits with three walks and a strikeout. Freshman shortstop Daria Parchert (Illinois Ciety, Ill., Rockridge HS) scored the winner in the sixth inning, leading off with a double, moving to third on a wild pitch and racing home on an error. Walton drove in Central’s first run in the third as the Dutch also had seven hits, including a pair by left fielder Tabitha Taylor (senior, Grimes, Dallas Center-Grimes HS).
“It was a well-played game,” coach George Wares said. “There were some really good defensive plays by both teams.”
Fritz started the second game as well, but was lifted after giving up a run in the second inning and relieved by Annie DeVries (senior, Eldridge, North Scott HS).
Central tied it 1-1 in the bottom of the second on an RBI single by Parchert, then burst to a 4-1 lead with a three-run third, highlighted by Walton’s two-run double deep to center field.
DeVries kept the potent Coe bats in check until the sixth, when the Kohawks struck for three runs to tie it as Fritz re-entered. Coe finally broke out in the ninth, getting a three-run homer by shortstop Haley Jones following an error and a hit batter. Walton had another RBI hit in the bottom of the ninth but the Dutch left the potential tying run at the plate.
Fritz (7-4) absorbed the loss, throwing 4.1 innings and getting tagged for three earned runs on eight hits with three walks and two strikeouts. She threw 11.1 innings on the day.
“You could tell Mariah was getting a little tired after throwing 91 pitches the first game but we made the decision to bring her back and try to get through the lineup one (more) time,” Wares said.
DeVries allowed three runs on seven hits in four innings and Danielle Riley (junior, Afton, East Union HS) retired the final two Coe hitters in the ninth.
“Overall, I’m happy,” Wares said of the split. “I thought our pitchers threw well and I thought our defense was really good.”
Walton’s average climbed to .407.
“She’s seeing it really well,” Wares said. “She’s a competitor. She’s kind of been playing that way all year. Obviously if we keep her healthy, she has a lot of good things in front of her.”
Coe’s No. 1 hurler, Alyssa Olson, battling injury, entered for the first time in the fifth inning and quickly ended a Central threat, then limited the Dutch to three hits over the final 4.2 innings in picking up the win.
“It’s unusual to bring your ace in down 4-1 but it obviously worked for them,” Wares said. “She’s the big reason they won the game.”
Wares also credited the right arm of Kohawk catcher Jess Brooks, who shut down Central’s high-octane running game. The Dutch were 0-2 on stolen base tries. But Wares was also disappointed in Central’s failure to hit in the clutch, stranding 18 runners on the day.
“The biggest negative, obviously, was we struggled to get the stolen base,” he said. “That was the most glaring. But outside of that, we just leave so many runners on base. We were ahead 4-1 and had a runner on third with no outs. We get that extra run across and a lot of good things happen. Some of the time when we left runners on, it wasn’t so much the end result, we just had some really weak at-bats. We didn’t seem to do some things as far as going with the pitch and hitting it hard somewhere.”
Yet Wares remains encouraged as his club heads to Storm Lake Tuesday for a 2 p.m. league doubleheader at Buena Vista University.
“I like everything about this team, but it’s just frustrating,” he said. “I look at us and I look at 14-6 and I just think, ‘Wow, we’re better than 14-6.’ But that’s the nature of softball.”
Buena Vista is 11-3 heading into its league-opening twinbill at Simpson College Saturday. Wares said the Beaver offense is as dangerous as Coe’s.
“Buena Vista had a really good trip to Arizona,” Wares said. “They’ve got some solid pitching back and they really swing the bat. I think that’s going to be a challenge for our pitchers.”
