Central College rallied from an early deficit to earn a 3-2 victory over Grinnell in the opening round of the NCAA softball regional yesterday afternoon in a game heard live on 92.1 KRLS.
The Pioneers struck the first blow with two runs in the top of the second inning, only to see the Dutch answer with one on an RBI single by Emma Jensen. Then in the fourth, Megan Stuhr and Megan Doty drew back-to-back walks before Makenna Hall laced a two-run double. It was an improbable hit from Hall, who was used exclusively as a pinch runner for most of the season, before an injury to all-region centerfielder Emma Johnson pressed her into more regular duty.
“Coach was talking to us yesterday a lot about culture and how belief is what drives our culture. I knew that even though I haven’t gotten to play a lot this year and even though my hitting is usually not very good and I don’t have very good form and I’m not the best hitter on the team by any stretch, I knew that if Coach was going to leave me in that he believed in me and the team believed in me. So I just went up there and did my best.”
After a rocky start, Dutch starting pitcher Syndi Huisman settled in, getting through 5-1/3 innings to earn the victory. Morgan Schaben got the final five outs to earn her school-record-tying fifth save of the season.
The 22nd-ranked Dutch improve to 32-9 on the season and will play #11 Bethel of Minnesota this morning in the winner’s bracket. The Royals beat Wisconsin-La Crosse 2-0 behind the 13th shutout of the season from pitcher Kayla Simacek. She’s the division three leader in strikeouts this season, averaging 11 per game, and Central coach George Wares knows that his team will have a battle on its hands.
“If we’re the underdog, so be it. We’re going to show up and battle as much as we can. Maybe some of our players really need to take the approach that Makenna did today and shorten up, get the bat over the plate, let her velocity help you and do everything you can to get it in play.”
First pitch is at 11:00 this morning. Trevor Castle and Kara Huisman will call the action live on 92.1 KRLS, beginning with pregame at 10:45. Audio commentary will also be available with video at CentralDutchNetwork.com.