After getting beat twice on Sunday by 17th-ranked Wartburg, the Central College softball team avoided the sweep by winning game three of the series yesterday afternoon, 9-6.

Central never led on Sunday, and fell behind 3-0 in the second inning yesterday when the defense committed a pair of errors.  But unlike the first two games, the Dutch offense finally had an answer, scoring four times in the bottom of the second.  Coach George Wares says it was a huge response.

“The difference between being down 3-2, even tied 3-3, and going ahead 4-3 is significant, especially after getting beat twice Sunday.  That allowed our pitchers to be a little more relaxed, and even though they got some stuff going against us, we just told our offense ‘let’s keep scoring.”

Central added two runs in each of the third and fourth innings to open up an 8-3 lead, and held off a late Wartburg charge to get the victory.  The Dutch are now 5-5 on the season and 3-3 in American Rivers Conference play.  They’ll continue a stretch of 11 games in eight days with a trip to Cedar Rapids for a doubleheader with Coe this afternoon.

In other Central College action today, the men’s and women’s soccer teams are at Nebraska Wesleyan and the women’s tennis team is also at Coe.