Central Ends Pre-Conference Slate with Softball Split
Second baseman Haley Bach reached base seven times Saturday as the No. 24-ranked Central College softball team split a doubleheader with the College of Saint Benedict (Minn.) heard live on 92.1 KRLS.
After an 8-1 victory in the opener, the Dutch (13-6) let a 2-0 sixth-inning lead slip away and Saint Benedict nabbed a 6-3, 11-inning win.
Bach was 3-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBIs in the first game and drew walks in her next three plate appearances, before singling in the seventh inning of game two. After Central fell behind 3-2 in the ninth, Bach came up with two aboard and her smash to shortstop was misplayed, allowing Megan Doty to scamper home from second base for the tying run. In the 11th, however, Saint Benedict broke it open with three runs on three hits to steal away the win.
Pitcher Emma Beck absorbed the hard-luck loss, departing with a 2-0 lead after hitting a batter in the sixth and giving way to Morgan Schaben, before returning in the ninth. Schaben again returned to the circle in the 11th. Beck threw 7.1 innings overall, getting charged with three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out seven. Schaben, who notched her second save in game one, gave up three runs on three hits and a walk over 3.2 innings.
Central was limited to five hits in the second game, including a pair by center fielder Emma Johnson, who had three hits on the day. The Dutch took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the opener, then steadily pulled away, getting five runs in the fifth to nearly end it early. Bach had two doubles among her three hits and stole her ninth base of the year. Catcher Rylee Dunkin had two hits, driving in a run and scoring one as the Dutch had 10 hits overall. Pitcher Sydni Huisman improved to 5-2, limiting the Bennies to a run on six hits with no walks and three strikeouts. Schaben retired all seven batters she faced in the final 2.1 innings, striking out one.
The American Rivers Conference slate for the Dutch begins next Saturday, as they take on preseason favorite Coe College in a home doubleheader starting at 1 pm.
Central Completes Baseball Sweep of Nebraska Wesleyan
Taking both ends of Saturday’s doubleheader, the Central College baseball team completed a three-game weekend series sweep of Nebraska Wesleyan University.
Central (9-9, 3-0 American Rivers Conference) won Saturday’s opener 5-2 before hanging on to a 10-9 win in an 11-inning contest in game two.
The Dutch built an 8-0 lead through seven innings but the wheels came off a little in the eighth as Central gave up five runs and then three more in the ninth on five hits and three errors. The teams each tallied one run in the 10th inning to send the game into an 11th frame. Coach Adam Carey inserted Hunter Nelson as a pinch hitter who led off with a single. Another base hit by Dylan Williams preceded second baseman Logan McCoy getting hit by a pitch to load the bases. Max Steinlage’s sacrifice fly would go down as the game-winning RBI. Steinlage was the starting pitcher in game two, tossing another seven scoreless innings with five strikeouts, four walks and four hits. Boston DeVault would pick up the win after throwing the final three frames with one strikeout, two walks, three hits and one run allowed.
Game one starter Mark Kenney went 8.1 innings, striking out just one batter but scattering seven hits and two walks for just one earned run. McCoy and Williams each had three hits in the second game with McCoy scoring four runs. Brayden Sawyer also had a three-hit game in the opener, while Declan O’Hare had a home run and a double to drive in a pair of runs in the second game. He added another double in the first game.
Central is back in action on Tuesday, hosting Coe College for a single game at 3 pm.