Dutch trio earns weekly conference honors
Central College
PELLA—Central College softball third baseman Whitney Sowers (junior, Marshalltown) was named position player of the week, as was baseball designated hitter Robbie Rushing (senior, West Des Moines, Valley HS), while Jared Nepomuceno (Corona, Calif., Santiago HS) was named golfer of the week following his tourney title.
Sweet finish to spring trip for Sowers, Dutch—Sowers tallied eight multi-hit outings in Central’s final 10 Tucson Invitational Games to close out the 16-game trip to the Grand Canyon State. The Dutch returned home with a 12-4 record thanks in part to Sowers, who batted .654 (17-for-26) with 10 runs scored and eight runs batted in the past seven days.
Sowers tallied two doubles, one triple and two home runs with two walks and four stolen bases while striking out only once. She also recorded eight putouts and 14 assists against only one error at the hot corner. Sowers’ week was highlighted by her solo homers in the 10-2 (5 inn.) win over La Verne (Calif.) March 20 and in the 3-2 loss to Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) March 22.
The Dutch return home for a busy weekend, meeting Wis.-Eau Claire for a doubleheader Friday at 2 p.m. before taking on Washington-St. Louis (Mo.) at 1 p.m. Saturday with a 3 p.m. contest against St. Scholastica (Minn.). Central also faces Augsburg (Minn.) in a Sunday doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
Rushing, Central close spring trip with a bang—Rushing recorded multi-hit days in each of Central’s final four Tucson Invitational Games, including a 3-for-6 performance against Hamline (Minn.) March 20 that left him a single shy of the cycle to cap the Arizona trip.
Rushing finished the week batting .556 (10-for-18) and slugging 1.056 with five runs scored and seven RBIs, largely due to the four-RBI performance behind a double, triple and home run against the Pipers in the trip finale. He had four two-baggers with only three strikeouts and stole one base over the four games.
Rushing, who was named D3baseball.com’s Team of the Week March 12, has helped the Dutch jump out to an 8-3 mark after winning six games in a row and eight of their last nine.
Central is back in Pella for Wednesday’s game against the Grinnell College Pioneers, who took two of three from Central in the opening weekend series.
Nepomuceno wins N.C. tourney as individual—Nepomuceno competed as an individual and carded a 36-34—70 to win Friday’s one-round Hurricane UFO Dispute at Bunn, N.C.
Playing The River, a par-71 course at Lake Royale Golf & Country Club, Nepomuceno finished 1-under-par to best the windy conditions and runners-up teammate Desmond Stoll (junior, Lockport, N.Y.) and Surry CC’s McKinley Johnson, who each recorded 75. Competing in the eight-team, 39-golfer field comprised primarily of junior colleges, Nepomuceno posted the lowest score on the back nine by five strokes to win after trailing by one stroke at the turn.
The Dutch are slated to open the northern portion of their schedule Sunday at the Webster Gorlock Invitational in St. Louis, Mo.
