The opening night of Little Hawkeye Conference action for the boys and girls of summer kicked off for all area teams Wednesday evening. Pella swept Newton 3-0, 3-1 on the baseball diamond, while the Dutch softball girls were swept 11-10 and 10-8 at home.

In the twin bill for the boys, pitching and defense proved to be the dominant factor in both; Caleb Stewart struck out 12 batters in a complete game one shutout, while Nathan Carey dodged a few jams to earn the victory, with Samuel Carlson earning a three-inning save with five strikeouts in the nightcap. The baseball team improves to 5-4 overall and 2-0 in league competition.

A much longer doubleheader took place on the softball diamond as offenses were key with 39 runs scored in 14 innings. Katie Scheckel continued her torrid start at the plate, with a pair of home runs hit — one in each game, which were a part of 22 total hits by the Dutch. Pella’s softball team falls to 3-4 overall. Both summer teams are at home Friday against Indianola, and both will be on 92.1 KRLS (softball) and 94.3 KNIA (baseball), as well as Pella Dutch Live.