Indianola ace Abbie Van Vleet created problems at the plate for the Pella High softball team, and the scoreboard showed it, with the Indians claiming a 6-0 win in Pella Friday night. Lady Dutch were limited to just three hits, and head coach Krista DeMeulenaere said the batting woes accentuated an area that has been a work-in-progress.

“When you face a pitcher like we did from Indianola, you really focus on just getting your bat to the ball. She’s going to bring enough speed that it’s going to help your hit – you really just need to get your hands to the ball, and see it well,” said DeMeulenaere.

“I didn’t think we were real far behind her pitch, but I thought we just needed to get our hands to the ball a little bit quicker. We have these great big, wind-up swings, and that makes it tough to hit a pitcher like Abbie. In that situation, we need to choke up, shorten up our swings and get our hands to the ball.”

The Pella High softball team is now 7-4 on the season and in competition against Twin Cedars and Saydel today in a tournament at Newton.