Indian Softball Year Ends with Disappointing Loss in Regional Semis
Abby Braundmeier celebrates after a three-run homer against Fairfield on Saturday night.
by Wade Steinlage
The Oskaloosa Indian softball team was on a roll entering postseason play, but 2018 was abruptly cut short in the regional semifinals.
#6 Oskaloosa (27-9, 15-4 LHC) opened the week with a sweep over Pella Monday, winning 4-3 and 11-3. The team then concluded the regular season with a 17-0 (5 innings) victory over Newton. Unfortunately, the Indians failed to make a deep postseason run with a 6-4 setback to Fairfield Saturday in the Class 4A Region 5 semifinals.
OHS 4, Pella 3
Oskaloosa, which held an 8-6 edge in hits, trailed 3-1 entering the bottom of the fourth, but slowly chipped away with an RBI single by Ava Vande Wall.
OHS knotted the game in the fifth on a Dutch error and then won the opener in walk-off fashion via another Pella fielding mistake.
Hayle Hacker guided the offense with three hits, while Meghan Moorman tallied two hits, including a double.
Hacker did not have her best game, but still earned the win. She struck out six, but allowed eight walks.
“We just could not come up with a big hit when we needed it,” Head Coach Jay Harms said. “We had numerous chances, but left 13 runners on base. Hayle had some control issues with a season-high eight walks, but in the end, we found a way to win.”
OHS 11, Pella 3
An eight-run fifth inning capped an easy win to finish off the sweep. The game was tied 2-2 entering the bottom of the fifth, but OHS blew the contest open with eight runs on six hits. Maddie Haines tallied two hits in the frame, highlighted by a two-run home run.
Hacker, Moorman, Haines, Anna Jones, and Abby Braundmeier all posted two hits, while Moorman and Haines finished with two RBIs apiece. Oskaloosa produced 13 hits in the victory.
Faith DeRonde limited Pella to two hits in a complete game. She struck out four and walked four.
“We did a better job of getting some timely hits in this game, but still left nine runners on base through six frames,” Harms said. “After a rough go in the field last weekend, we also limited our errors to only two tonight. We are going to have to make plays and get those timely hits if we want to make a run in the regional tournament.”
OHS 17, Newton 0
With a possible matchup against the Indians in the regional finals looming, the 10th-ranked Cardinals sat most of their starters, including their pitchers. Indianola had already wrapped up the Little Hawkeye Conference title, so there was no need for the programs to play more than one contest, at least allowing Newton to honor its senior class.
DeRonde held Newton to two hits, while her offense exploded for 18 base knocks; OHS also took advantage of six Cardinal errors. She finished with four strikeouts without a base on balls.
Jones guided the Indians by going 4-for-5 with three RBIs. Hacker, who was 3-for-4 and three RBIs, Vande Wall, who was 2-for-4 with four RBIs, and Lauren Coon, who was 2-for-2 with three RBIs, also all had big efforts. Braundmeier and Ashley Kindley posted two hits as well.
Fairfield 6, OHS 4
Unfortunately, the rematch with Newton would never occur as the Indians succumbed to a late-inning rally that witnessed the Trojans score once in the sixth and five more times in the seventh.
Oskaloosa led 4-0 after five innings, but could not hold on and ended its campaign one game from another trip to the state tournament.
OHS got on the board with a run in the second on an RBI double by Kindley. They then added three more in the third on a three-run homer by Braundmeier for what seemed like a comfortable, possibly insurmountable advantage. Braundmeier scored twice in the setback, while Haines walked two times.
Six different OHS players had a hit, while Fairfield recorded seven base knocks. Hacker struck out five and walked four in a complete-game effort.
The loss ends the prep careers of Jones and Josie Bunnell.
“We had baserunners early in the game, but could not get as many across as we needed,” Harms said. “I give a lot of credit to their pitcher for shutting us down. I feel really bad for our seniors, especially Josie since she could not play in her final games due to heat issues she suffered last weekend. This was a great group that had a great season. We are really young and hopefully we will learn from this and make another run to state next year.”
