Central and Dubuque Split Baseball Doubleheader

The Central College baseball team ended a losing streak with a 4-0 win in Saturday’s opener, but the University of Dubuque earned a split by winning game two 6-3, in a doubleheader heard live on 92.1 KRLS.

Mark Kenney ensured the end of the seven game skid for the Dutch, hurling a complete game, four hit shutout to begin the twin bill. The Central right hander struck out six and walked just one Spartan, while never allowing a run past second base.

“It was fun to watch him compete,” coach Adam Carey said. “He had full command of the zone all day and didn’t really give them any good pitches to hit.”

Max Steinlage’s fourth inning run on Declan O’Hare’s RBI single was all the scoring Central needed in the game one win. Logan McCoy’s run on a bases loaded walk gave the Dutch breathing room, before a seventh-inning home run from Dom DeLaPaz provided the nail in the coffin.

Steinlage took the loss on the mound in game two, allowing five earned runs in 4.2 innings with eight hits, four strikeouts, and three walks. Bryce Haessig allowed just two hits and no walks while striking out a pair in 4.1 innings of relief. McCoy had two hits in each game, while Colton DeRocher and Brayden Sawyer each added an RBI to their tally.

The Dutch head to Decorah on Tuesday for a 3 p.m. game against Luther College.

Central Erupts for 25 Runs in Softball Sweep

Pounding out 26 hits, the No. 24-ranked Central College softball team posted a pair of one-sided road wins at the University of Dubuque Saturday and remained unbeaten in American Rivers Conference play.

The Dutch (19-6 overall, 6-0 conference) notched their third consecutive five-inning victory 15-5 before winning 10-2. Hannah Higgins and Emma Johnson each had five hits in the two games while Haley Bach and Johnson both reached base six times. The Dutch drew 12 walks and stole 12 bases on the day giving them 92 thefts for the season while allowing 30. Central is bidding to top the 100-steal mark for the season for the 23rd time since 1990.

Franie Burnett scored four runs and drove in three in the opener, while catcher Rylee Dunkin knocked in four runs. Higgins had three RBIs in the nightcap, bringing home two with a triple and Megan Stuhr added two RBIs.

Pitcher Sydni Huisman improved to 6-2 in the first game, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks with two strikeouts in 4.0 innings. Chloe Dougherty and Morgan Schaben combined to toss the final inning. Emma Beck allowed two runs on three hits to up her record to 7-4 in the second game. She threw 5.0 innings, walking five and fanning two. Schaben threw two hitless innings to close it out, walking one and striking out one.

Central is on the road again Tuesday, traveling to Storm Lake for a 2 p.m. conference doubleheader with Buena Vista University.

Steffen, Johnson Set New Dutch Women’s Track Standards in California

A pair of Central College women’s track and field distance event records fell during the first two days of the Bryan Clay Invitational hosted by Azusa Pacific University (Calif.) over the weekend.

Six members of the Dutch men’s and women’s distance crew traveled West to compete at one of the biggest meets in the country. Megan Johnson was the individual champion of the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase open category in a school record time of 10 minutes, 19.79 seconds. Also in the open steeplechase category, Caroline McMartin was sixth in 10:30.78 and Addison Parrott was 47th in 10:49.07. Running in the open division of the women’s 800-meter run, Peyton Steffen took down a school record that had stood since 1975 with a time of 2:12.52. She finished 76th in a field of 238 runners. Noah Jorgenson was 55th in the men’s invitational 800-meter run, crossing the line in 1:50.17. Caleb Silver battled through a small injury to finish 60th in the men’s open steeplechase in 9:23.17.

Central is scheduled to send athletes to meets at Augustana College (Ill.), Doane University (Neb.) and the University of Kansas this week.

Biggs Shoots 78 for Central Women’s Golf Team in Illinois

Playing on familiar turf, Mackenzie Biggs carded a 78 but the Central College women’s golf team finds itself in 15th place in a stacked 21-team field after one round of the Kathy Niepagen Spring Fling Saturday.

No. 12-ranked host Illinois Wesleyan University fired a 288 to take a 10-shot at the par-72 Ironwood Golf Course. Central shot 338 while the only other American Rivers team in the field, Wartburg College, is 17th at 350. Biggs, playing near her hometown of Bloomington, is 24th individually. Parker Stout shot 83, Peyton Bytnar had 87, Lydia Grond shot 90 and Rachel Sohn shot 92.

The tourney concludes Sunday.