Coe’s Rally Leads to Central Baseball Heartbreak

A walk-off home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning cost the Central College baseball team a road win at Coe College Sunday afternoon in an 8-7 loss.

The Dutch led 7-3 after seven innings but the Kohawks rallied with five runs in the final two frames, as a walk and a hit batsmen put two runners on for the walk-off blast. Declan O’Hare started on the mound for Central, going 7.0 strong innings and allowed just one earned run. He scattered seven hits, struck out two and had zero walks, while also tallying three hits in the batter’s box. Garrett Finley had four hits and Colton DeRocher had a pair of base knocks. Catcher Dom DeLaPaz had his second home run in as many days, driving in three with the blast in the seventh inning. Junior relief pitcher Kurby Vowels took the loss after allowing five runs in 1.2 innings of work.

Central baseball now possesses a 10-12 record overall, and 1-11 American Rivers Conference record. The next Dutch baseball game can be heard live on 92.1 KRLS as they host Simpson College on Tuesday at 3 p.m.

Central Women’s Tennis Takes Down Cornell

In its regular season finale, the Central College women’s tennis team won in dominant 9-0 fashion at Cornell College yesterday.

The top two singles matches for the Dutch both went to a third set, with both Alyssa Lewton and Maddie Hartley coming out victorious. Katie Larson swept her match in the third spot in the singles lineup. Knoxville alumni and number four singles player Alex Griggs won 6-4 and 6-1, while the final two singles matches were won by Norwalk Alumni Alli Kreider (6-4, 6-1) and Ashlynn Brant (6-1, 6-1). All three of Central’s doubles teams won their matches 8-2.

Central finishes the regular season at 12-11. Central will be the No. 2 seed for the American Rivers Conference tournament April 29-30. The Dutch will play the winner of No. 3 Coe College and No. 6 Wartburg College.

Central Women’s Golf Shares 4th at Wartburg

Strong winds took an especially harsh toll on the Central College women’s golf team which slipped two spots to tie for fourth at the 36-hole, 14-team Wartburg Spring Invitational Sunday. The Dutch, who were part of a four-way tie for second place Saturday, tied for fourth with the University of Dubuque. 

Winds were gusting above 30 miles per hour and that compounded other issues for the Dutch. Mackenzie Biggs and Delaney Underwood each shot a 161 over the two day at the par-70 Waverly Golf Course and Country Club. Madison Clark shot a 160 over the weekend, while Thea Lunning shot a 171 and Peyton Bytnar had a two day score of 174. 

Central is off for Easter Weekend then makes its lone home appearance of the spring April 23-24, playing host to The Battle at Bos at the par-72 Bos Landen Golf Club. Central will meet Coe College, Grinnell College and Wartburg College in a unique match-play format.