The pieces simply fell into place Monday night for the Pella Christian softball team, as they defeated Grinnell 11-1 in Pella in 6 innings.  It was the second time the Lady Eagles had handed the Tigers a double-digit loss this season.  The lead for Pella Christian was just 3-1 when a five-run bottom of the fourth inning broke the game open and put the maroon-and-white up for good.  

Pitcher Shannon Fynaardt assembled a rock-solid performance in the circle, allowing just four hits and one walk, while striking out six Tiger batters in the six-inning win.  She had plenty of support at the plate as well, as Pella Christian cranked out 13 hits on the night.  

Cara Turner used her speed and some well-placed bunts to finish 3-for-3 with a walk and a run scored, while the team’s lone senior – Sami Veenstra – went 1-for-1 with a solo home run.

“I think that was huge for her. I don’t know for sure, but I believe that’s the first [home run] of her career,” said Pella Christian head coach Nate Van Wyk. “She’s the only senior we have on our team this year, she’s been a leader for us all year and has been swinging the bat so well out of that [number] three spot in the line-up. Her power is to left-center field, and she stayed right on that ball – probably got a little help from the wind – but she got pretty much every bit of that pitch, and you could see the smile on her face as she was coming around the bases.”

Veenstra also sent home a run on a sacrifice fly, reached base on a walk and was hit by a pitch.  Other notables for the Lady Eagles included Paige Engbers, who was 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored; and both Jenna Roose and Tessa Howerzyl were 2-for-4 at the plate, each scoring twice.  

The victory puts the Pella Christian softball team at 5-14 overall and 3-4 in the Little Hawkeye Conference.  They’ve got a rare two-day break before Thursday’s league match-up against Newton.