Central scraps way to softball split in elite NFCA field
Central College
COLUMBUS, GA.—When pitcher Karly Olson (junior, Winterset) threw ball three with the bases loaded in the eighth inning against Piedmont College (Ga.) Friday, the No. 17 Central College softball team came as close as possible to losing its NFCA Division III Leadoff Classic opener without actually finishing the job.
Instead, staring at a 3-0 count, just one errant pitch away from defeat, Olson and the Dutch (10-4) somehow wriggled free of the no-outs jam, then erupted for three runs in the ninth for an improbable 7-4 triumph after trailing 4-0 in the third inning. Piedmont had also loaded the bases with one out in the seventh inning but came up empty against Olson after first baseman Abbie Voas (sophomore, Chanhassen, Minn.) snared a line drive to start an inning-ending double play.
That finish was surprising, but Central then nearly pulled off a comeback that was stunning. Down 3-0 to undefeated No. 6 Texas Lutheran, the Dutch scratched out three runs against Bulldogs’ ace Amanda Lochte, who had allowed just one run through her previous five starts. But this time Texas Lutheran (14-0) came through with two tallies in the seventh as Central dropped a 5-3 decision.
That leaves Central at 1-1 heading into its final game of pool play Saturday, a 10 a.m. (Eastern Time) contest with Western Connecticut State. That’s sure to be an emotional contest regardless of the result as Central associate head coach Alicia O’Brien is a Western Connecticut State grad and was the highly successful head coach of the Colonials for 18 seasons. She’s in the school’s athletics hall of fame.
Following the game, the classic’s 24-team field will be divided into eight-team Gold, Silver and Bronze brackets. Texas Lutheran has clinched a spot in the Gold bracket while the Central-Western Connecticut State winner will likely land in the Silver bracket. Western opened its season Friday with a 9-0, five-inning loss to Texas Lutheran and a 7-3 victory over Piedmont.
One round of bracket play will be completed Saturday, with teams playing either one or two more games Sunday to complete the tourney.
“We’re young but I think we’ve grown a lot,” coach George Wares said. “We’re competing. I like the battle we’re showing.
“That play Abbie Voas made was a huge play. Then, Karly (Olson) is down 3-0 and, boom, we get out of it. That’s pretty remarkable no matter who you’re playing. That was a good one to win. There are a lot of things we can put in our memory banks that we did well.”
Most prominent among the signs of progress was a rock-steady performance by pitcher Annie DeVries (sophomore, Eldridge, North Scott HS). After some struggles in Florida earlier in the week, DeVries was the key to Central remaining within striking distance in both games. She threw a combined 8.2 innings of relief, yielding just an unearned run on five hits with three walks—one intentional—and two strikeouts.
“To Annie’s credit, she came in and kept the game right there,” Wares said. “We got a lot of quality innings from her that we didn’t get in Florida.”
Hard-hitting Texas Lutheran, with a lofty .351 team batting average, managed just two hits against DeVries in 4.2 innings. Central’s young lineup actually outhit the Bulldogs, 5-4.
Olson (5-4) both started and relieved against Piedmont, giving up four runs on five hits and three walks—two intentional–with four strikeouts in five innings. She got the win but also absorbed a loss with 1.1 innings of relief against Texas Lutheran, yielding two runs on one hit with two walks and a strikeout.
Yet the play was not always clinic-worthy. Against Piedmont, the Dutch weren’t charged with any errors but several mental miscues contributed to the Lady Lions’ three-run second inning. Piedmont added a run in the third. Olson surrendered all four runs.
Central then committed three errors against Texas Lutheran. The Bulldogs put up three runs in the second inning, including two off starter Trisha Smith (senior, New Hampton).
While saluting both opponents for their play, Wares said Central’s focus remains its own performance and at times it was lacking.
“The opponent is always the game and the game beat us pretty badly in the first two innings (against Texas Lutheran),” he said. “We just weren’t playing the game well. In some ways, we were fortunate we were only down 3-0.”
But Central came back with a run in the second inning and two more in the fourth. Olson had two hits.
Against Piedmont, after the bases-loaded escapes in the seventh and eighth innings, Central broke it open with a three-run ninth, highlighted by a two-run hit by left fielder Tabitha Taylor (sophomore, Grimes, Dallas Center-Grimes HS). Taylor and shortstop Paige Schreiner (senior, Ottumwa) each had two hits.
“I’m not, and never will be, a fan of moral victories,” Wares said. “We had chances to win both games. But we also could have lost both. We’re not happy with 1-1 but happy we made some progress.”
Wares said O’Brien and the Dutch will view Western Connecticut State as just another opponent once the game begins. O’Brien is in her 10th year at Central so is not as familiar with the Colonials’ roster, but, of course, maintains emotional ties with the program and head coach Heather Stone is one of her former players.
“It will probably be a little more difficult for (O’Brien),” Wares said. “We’ll both be glad when it’s over and I think they will be, too.”
Trevor Castle, the voice of the Dutch, will call the action for audio webcasts of Central’s games at www.kniakrls.com or directly through rdo.to/knia2.
