Central softball team runs wild in sweep
Central Dutch Athletics
PELLA—The Central College softball team’s small-ball attack in a doubleheader sweep of Westminster College (Mo.) Sunday was criminal.
The No. 23-rated Dutch stole 18 bases, including a record-tying 11 thefts in the five-inning. second game, as they raced to 7-2 and 9-1 non-conference victories. Central was actually outhit, 10-9, in the opener, but used aggressive baserunning to its advantage.
Leadoff hitter Sara Tallman (sophomore, Pella) was among the chief culprits with five steals on the day, including three in one inning capped by a steal of home. Central now has a 105-27 stolen-base advantage over opponents. It’s the team’s 20th season with 100 or more steals since 1990. Tallman, who had four steals in the second game, has 34 in 38 tries for the year, tying Mindi Remsburg (1993) for second on the school’s all-time season list. Daniela Grob set the record of 37 in 2000 and did so exclusively as a pinch-runner. Central’s 11 game-two steals tied the mark set at Cornell in 2009.
“I think we’re very confident in our short game,” coach George Wares said. “In the first game we went to it because we were popping the ball up and obviously we felt we could take advantage of it.”
For the second straight day, Central fell behind early as Westminster got a first-inning run but Central broke loose with two runs in the third inning, adding one in the fourth, two in the fifth and two more in the sixth inning. Right fielder Shaye Witte (sophomore, West Des Moines, Waukee HS) and left fielder Tabitha Taylor (senior, Grimes, Dallas Center-Grimes HS) each had two hits.
Pitcher Mariah Fritz (junior, Tama, East Marshall HS) labored at times, yielding 10 hits in seven innings, but held Westminster (14-14) to two runs with two walks and a strikeout in improving to 11-4. Fritz showed the effects of coming off a complete-game win over Wartburg College Saturday, Wares said.
“Mariah had a lot of pitches—and I call them stress pitches—yesterday, because the Wartburg game was intense,” he said. “It’s a little different when you make those kind of pitches versus a game where you’re cruising 8-0. You tend to tighten up a little more. But we’ll give her a couple days off and she’ll be fine.”
Pitcher Annie DeVries (senior, Eldridge, North Scott HS), also on short rest, raised her record to 10-3 with her second straight five-inning win. She gave up an unearned run on four hits and a walk.
“Annie’s got some movement and she was able to get some outs with that,” Wares said. “Again, we’re pretty consistent.”
Wares also credited an airtight Dutch defense, which had just one error on the day.
“It’s easier for our pitchers to throw when you know you don’t have to be perfect,” he said. “We’re just making some really good plays defensively. Our outfield was phenomenal, some of the plays we made, and so is our infield. You look at Lauren Bagby (junior, Norwalk), some of the plays she’s making at third. We’re doing what we thought we would defensively, taking some hits away. Instead of giving extra outs, we’re taking hits away and making it a lot easier for our pitchers.”
Central was nursing a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning before striking for seven runs, all with two outs. Taylor delivered a bases-clearing double while Bagby and designated player Kaitlyn Andresen (sophomore, Davenport, Assumption HS) each had a pair of RBIs. Andresen upped her season average to .338.
Tallman scored four more runs on the day, giving her 43 for the year, the fourth-most in school history and nine shy of Abbey Strajack’s 2015 record. Catcher Emily Walton (senior, Cedar Rapids, Jefferson HS) had four RBIs for a team-high 33 on the season.
Central returns to Iowa Conference play Wednesday with a 3 p.m. doubleheader against Nebraska Wesleyan University at Lincoln. The Prairie Wolves are 18-16 overall and 5-7 in the league after getting swept 4-2 and 8-3 at No. 9-rated Luther College Sunday, victims of a walk-off homer in the opener. The league schedule closes with a flurry, with Central traveling to the University of Dubuque Saturday and to Luther next Tuesday, May 1. Luther is alone in first in the league at 5-1 with Central at 8-2 and Coe at 7-3.
“It’s a huge stretch,” Wares said. “Wesleyan is very good and they’re even a little better at home. Dubuque’s in ninth place but they open your eyes when they beat the ninth-ranked team in the country (a win over Luther). They also have a win against Simpson. And obviously the Luther games after that.”
