After locking up a share of the Little Hawkeye Conference title last Friday in Knoxville, the Pella softball team has a chance to stake the lone claim to the league crown with a win tonight at South Tama.

After some time away from practice to enjoy the holiday weekend, Pella Head Coach Krista DeMeulenaere says her team is thrilled to have the opportunity to control their own destiny in the conference race, but says they recognize that South Tama will not simply roll over and let them win.

“I think South Tama is going to be a good match-up for us. We can’t take them for granted, though, no way. They’re scoring runs against everyone; no one’s shutting them down, so we’ve got to come out and play hard against them,” said DeMeulenaere.

“I’m excited. I’m excited for the challenge; I’m excited for these girls to be able to celebrate; excited for the opportunity. It’s what you want. You want to put yourself in a position to win it all, and we’re here.”

Pella’s 10-3 record in the Little Hawkeye Conference is currently tops in the league, but a loss would drop them into a tie for the conference championship with Pella Christian, who finished the regular season last week.

The Lady Dutch are 17-7 overall entering tonight’s contest in Tama, which will begin at approximately 7:30 p.m.