Central stumbles in softball return to action
JACKSONVILLE, ILL.— It was nearly 51 weeks since its last game and the Central College softball team had yet to field a ball outside in 2021. Unfortunately, the results showed Saturday.
Entering the season with a No. 7 NFCA Division III ranking, the Dutch ended the day saddled with a 0-2 record after a 5-2 setback to DePauw University (Ind.) and a wrenching 8-4, eight-inning disappointment against host Illinois College.
Within an out of a win in the nightcap, Central couldn’t close the deal thanks to some untimely miscues.
“I was just disappointed,” coach George Wares said. “We gave up a lot of freebies.”
Morgan Schaben (sophomore, Harlan) entered the seventh inning with a 4-2 lead but gave up a two-out hit and a walk and was relieved by game one starter Sydni Huisman (sophomore, Treynor) and Illinois College (2-3) rallied for a pair of unearned runs, then broke it open in the eighth.
Schaben allowed one earned run on seven hits with three walks and nine strikeouts in 6.2 innings.
“Morgan was really good,” Wares said.
Central had just four hits but took advantage of five walks and stole four bases in scoring four runs.
“We’re not what we want to be right now, for sure,” Wares said. “We felt like we were climbing out of a hole all day. We never felt in sync offensively and couldn’t really do a lot of what we want to do.”
DePauw ace Cami Henry struck out 12 Central batters and was in firm control most of the way. After surrendering a leadoff bunt single to center fielder Sara Tallman (senior, Pella) in the first inning, she didn’t allow another baserunner until the seventh. But then Tallman singled and scored on a two-run hit by designated player Franie Burnett (freshman, Ankeny, Centennial HS) in her collegiate debut.
“I’m not sure they ever felt threatened but I think that gave us some life,” Wares said.
Huisman allowed a pair of earned runs on five hits with four walks and two strikeouts in five innings. Skylar Sadler (sophomore, Lisbon) yielded a run on two hits with a walk in the final two frames.
Tallman had three hits on the day.
The Dutch travel to St. Ann, Missouri outside of St. Louis next Saturday at the ABC Ball Park, taking on Washington University-St. Louis (Mo.) at 3 p.m. before another meeting with DePauw at 5 p.m. Game times could vary due to the length of earlier games on the same field. Broadcasts of both Central games will air on KRLS-FM (92.1) with the Voice of the Dutch, Trevor Castle, calling the play by play. The broadcasts can also be accessed via kniakrls.com or directly at rdo.to/krls.
“If we were (on spring break) in Arizona, we’d be getting up the next day and playing again,” Wares said. “The good thing is we have some time to work on the things that didn’t go well.
“But we’re just excited to play, that was the big thing. And I think it’s just going to take some time to get into grooves and understand how different it is being outside.”
