Central softball streak to 20 with sweep
Central College
PELLA—The second-longest win streak in Central College softball history reached 20 games Tuesday, with 6-1 and 4-1 victories over Buena Vista.
Designated player Rachael Everingham (junior, Georgetown, Ill, Georgetown-Ridge Farm HS) had four hits in five at-bats and the Dutch (20-2 overall, 4-0 Iowa Conference) tied a school record with three home runs in the opener.
Central remains well short of the school win streak record of 32 games set by the school’s 1993 national champions. The Dutch did have an unbeaten streak of 23 games in 1999, but that string was interrupted by a tie.
What coach George Wares termed a significantly improved Buena Vista squad was determined to avoid getting beat by all-America first baseman Katie Tenboer (senior, Morrison, Ill.). The Beavers (8-14 overall, 0-4 conference) walked her five times, but paid the price for doing so in the fifth inning of the opener as pitcher Kiley Lythberg (senior, Mount Prospect, Ill, Prospect HS) followed with a two-run blast to right-center, her second homer of the season. Catcher Caitlyn Meyer (sophomore, Newton) and shortstop Annie Sarcone (freshman, Des Moines, Dowling Catholic HS) each hit their second homers as well, both solo shots. The only other time Central went deep three times in a game was against Wartburg on April 14, 2001.
Nonetheless, Wares wasn’t overwhelmed by Central’s performance.
“I guess I would call it workmanlike,” he said. “I didn’t think we were extremely intense, but did what we needed to do. We got out of two or three pretty big jams and we did make some very nice defensive plays to get out of them. But there are a lot of things we can still get better at.”
Lythberg improved to 8-1, allowing one run and scattering four hits in the opener, walking one and striking out six. Tenboer threw the sixth inning, her first pitching appearance after suffering a foot injury in the preseason. She allowed one hit.
Brie Haycraft (freshman, Eldridge, North Scott HS) and Rhianna Fleetwood (sophomore, Sycamore, Ill.) combined for the win in the nightcap. Haycraft (5-1), yielded six hits with no walks and one strikeout in four innings of shutout ball. Fleetwood notched her first save, allowing a run on three hits and a walk in three innings but getting the final out in the seventh when Buena Vista brought the potential tying run to the plate.
“Rhianna actually had some of her better control and velocity,” Wares said. “I thought she threw well. Brie was not as sharp as she was against Wartburg (Saturday), but I’m encouraged that she still found a way to get outs.”
Central was outhit in the second game, 9-6 after holding an 8-5 edge in the opener.
While there were some defensive letdowns, Wares also saw some promising efforts in the field.
“I thought (third baseman) Rachel Whiteside (senior, Sheffield, Ill., Bureau Valley HS) stepped up,” he said. “It was one of her better days defensively.”
Central faces one of the season’s more challenging weekends, traveling to Eau Claire, Wis. to meet St. Scholastica (Minn.) in a doubleheader Friday at 3 p.m. before taking on Wis.-Eau Claire in a noon twinbill Saturday. St. Scholastica is 6-7 but played a demanding Florida schedule during spring break, Wares said. The Saints are favored to win their league and land a berth in the NCAA Division III tournament.
Meanwhile, Wis.-Eau Claire (12-4) is again an NCAA playoff contender and caught some attention with a doubleheader split against No. 4-ranked Luther Sunday at Decorah.
“It’s the most difficult stretch we’ve had in a while,” Wares said.
