The Central College softball offense is heating up at the right time.
Third baseman Franie Burnett (senior, Ankeny, Centennial HS) continued her recent surge with three hits, the Dutch used their small-ball attack to put up six first-inning runs and Central notched a 10-2, five-inning opening-game win over the University of Wisconsin-Superior in NCAA Division III regional tournament play Thursday heard live on 92.1 KRLS.
Central (30-10), ranked No. 25 in the NFCA Division III coaches poll, takes on the No. 15 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in an 11 a.m. winners bracket game of the four-team, double-elimination regional. Wis.-Whitewater blanked No. 22 Bethel University (Minn.) 2-0 in Thursday’s second game. Bethel and Wis.-Superior stage an elimination game at 1:30 p.m. Friday while the Bethel vs. Wis.-Superior winner will take on the Central vs. Wis.-Whitewater loser in another elimination game at 4 p.m. at the A.N. Kuyper Athletics Complex softball field. The regional tourney concludes Saturday.
“Obviously, we did what we had to early when we came out and got the 6-0 lead,” said coach George Wares,who has now piloted the Dutch to 29 30-win seasons. It’s Central’s 32nd NCAA tourney appearance.
Burnett, whose average climbed above the .300 mark to .305 Thursday, singled and scored in a first inning highlighted by a two-run double from freshman catcher Rylee Dunkin (Hamilton, Twin Cedars HS). Right fielder Mariah Parton (sophomore, Ankeny), who reached on a fielder’s choice, had two stolen bases in the inning, including a theft of home on a double steal with left fielder Megan Doty (5th-year, Grinnell) on the back end. Parton had two hits and three steals in the game, giving her 16 steals for the season. Central had six steals overall, including a pair from Doty, who also has 16 for the year.
Entering in relief of starter Sydni Huisman (5th-year, Treynor), pitcher Morgan Schaben (5th-year, Portsmouth, Harlan HS) got the win in relief. It was her 31st appearance of the season and raised her record to 7-0. She threw the final 2.2 innings, allowing a run on four hits.
Wis.-Superior (26-14) got runs in the third and fifth inning. Central only outhit the Yellowjackets 9-8 and committed an uncharacteristic two errors.
“I thought we got a little complacent,” Wares said. “Give Superior a lot of credit because they stayed with it and made it tougher after we got the 6-0 lead. We wanted to give Sydni some innings and try to rest Emma Beck (sophomore, Holland, Grundy Center HS) and we were able to accomplish that.
Burnett’s RBI double gave Central another run in the fourth inning and she got the walk-off hit in the fifth with a bases-loaded single to right-center field.
“I thought (Burnett and Parton) had some really good at-bats that allowed us to score 10 runs today,” Wares said.
Central has faced Wis.-Whitewater only twice, splitting a pair of previous NCAA meetings. Central lost in the national tournament to the Warhawks in Willimantic, Connecticut in 1987 but scored an extra-inning victory in regional play in Pella in 2011. Wis.-Whitewater is riding a five-game winning streak. Live coverage begins with pregame this morning at 10:45 on KRLS and the Central Dutch Network.
“We’re going to have to play well and, in moments, play better than we did today,” Wares said.
The winner of Friday’s clash advances to Saturday’s title game. The regional champion then moves on to the NCAA Super Regional May 24-25 against the winner of a two-team regional in Oregon between the University of Redlands (Calif.) and Linfield University (Ore.).
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