Late Spark Propels Pella Christian Baseball to Win Against Norwalk

A late-inning rally by the Pella Christian baseball team Monday night propelled them to an eight inning, 5-2 victory over Norwalk, as heard live on 92.1 KRLS. 

The Warriors capitalized on a hit by pitch and a pair of wild pitches, with an RBI fielder’s choice to grab the early advantage in the bottom of the second inning. Three scoreless frames later and the Eagles would respond, as Bennett Spronk tied the game at one with a solo shot over the left field fence in the top of the sixth inning. A scoreless seventh sent the game to extra innings and Pella Christian would take advantage of the extra frame. Two bunt singles by Corbin Westerkamp and Kellan Shull set Ty Vander Molen up for an RBI single to give the Eagles their first lead of the contest in the top of the eighth inning. Following a Caleb Belzer walk, Luke Fynaardt singled to left field to plate Shull and Vander Molen while Belzer advanced to third. Belzer would plate P.C.’s fourth run of the inning and fifth run of the night on a Norwalk error. In the bottom half of the inning, the Warriors would scratch one run across before the Eagles slammed the door shut. The big storyline for Pella Christian was the dominant pitching of Lincoln Vander Molen. The junior threw 7 ⅔ innings surrendering just three hits, one earned run, while striking out seven. Talking about the trust he had in Lincoln, Eagles Head Coach Braden Shull credited the junior’s mentality for his success.

“Lincoln is a guy that when he has his worst stuff on the mound, and I know he’s still gonna go out there and compete. I mean, there’s no way around it for Lincoln. He could have nothing working for him and he’s going to go right at you with whatever he can get across there. And that’s a great mentality to have and it speaks volumes about him as a person, that he’s able to do that night in and night out when he’s on the mound.”

With their first win against Norwalk since June of 2019, Pella Christian improved to 2-0 on the season and 1-0 in Little Hawkeye Conference play. The Eagles will look to keep their perfect record intact on Wednesday at Pleasantville.

The Eagles Boys Soccer Season Ends in Substate Semifinals

The Pella Christian boys soccer team had their season come to an end Monday in the Class 1A Substate 6 Semifinal round with a 9-1 loss at top seeded Gladbrook-Reinbeck. Theo Hugen would prevent the shut out for the Eagles with a goal late in the second half, but it wasn’t enough as the Rebels control the match from start to finish. Gladbrook-Reinbeck netted five goals in the first half, before scoring four more times in the second half. The Pella Christian boys soccer team’s season ends with 7-10 record on the spring.

Pella Christian Girls Soccer Competes Tonight for Spot in Regional Championship

Competing for a spot in the Class 1A Regional 6 Championship, the Pella Christian girls soccer team travels to Vinton-Shellsburg tonight for the Regional Semifinal match. 

Tonight’s meeting between Pella Christian and Vinton-Shellsburg will be the first time the two teams have faced off in the Bound era. The Eagles come into tonight’s contest fresh off a 6-0 shutout against Grand View Christian, while the Vikings enter the game having shutout West Branch 8-0 in the first round. 

The Regional Semifinal match tonight between Pella Christian and Vinton-Shellsburg begins at 6 p.m.