Central Starts A-R-C Softball Tournament Strong
The Central College softball team got its revenge against Loras College after being swept in the regular season, defeating the Duhawks 10-1 in five innings to open the American Rivers Conference tournament.
The Dutch (25-10, 9-7 A-R-C) had a highly productive offensive game, scoring its 10 runs on 14 hits. The squad welcomed back All-American shortstop Haley Bach and made a lineup change that saw Mariah Parton move to the No. 2 spot in the lineup. Central blitzed Loras early, scoring three runs in the top of the first and second innings. The first four hitters reached safely as Bach hit a leadoff double and Parton hit a single before Hannah Higgins and Alexa Anderson both hit RBI singles. Addi Starr added on with an RBI double. The second inning started with a leadoff double from Emma Jensen and she scored after Bach reached on an error. Parton picked up her second single of the day, and Higgins and Anderson would each collect their second RBIs of the game in the inning as well. Anderson picked up her third RBI of the game in the fourth inning scoring Parton on a sacrifice bunt. In the fifth inning, the Dutch pushed the game to the run rule after Carley Underwood hit an RBI double and Bach hit an RBI single.
With all-conference pitcher Emma Beck still out with an injury, freshman pitcher Jadyn Huisman earned the start for Central and pitched her fifth complete game of the season, while allowing only one run on two hits, a walk, and striking out two hitters.
The Dutch advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament and face top seeded host Simpson College today at 1 pm.
Three Podium Finishes Friday for Dutch Men at League Track Meet
On the first full day of action at the American Rivers Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships Friday, a trio from the Central College men’s track and field team earned top-three finishes.
The Dutch men are fifth with 34 points through eight of the 22 events. In the decathlon, Reid Pakkebier took second with 6,407 points and Gage Huyser was third with 6,366 points. Jack Brown placed third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9 minutes, 4.13 seconds. Also in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Randy Jimenez was fifth (9:12.76) and Derek Webster was seventh (9:23.99). The 4×800-meter relay squad of Alex Volden, James Brant, Blake Creed, and Jack Every was seventh (8:08.07).
Central also got points in field events from Gunner Meyer’s sixth-place finish in the high jump (6-2.25), Kale Purcell’s seventh-place finish in the long jump (22-2.5) and Kale Hobart’s eighth-place finish in the long jump (22-1.75). The Dutch also had six individuals qualify for Saturday’s finals in five different events.
The final day of competition from the league championships starts today with field events at 10 am and running events at 1:30 pm.
Steffen Secures Steeplechase League Title for Dutch Women
Central College women’s track and field junior Peyton Steffen outpaced the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase field Friday to give the Central College women’s track & field team its only individual title so far at the American Rivers Conference Championships.
The Dutch women are in fourth with 39 points through eight events. Steffen won the steeplechase in 10 minutes, 33.21 seconds. In the 4×800-meter relay, Peyton Madison, Teah Miller, Riley Packer, and Alivia Roerdink took second place in 11:44.19. Emma Rocha also earned all-conference honors after finishing third in 38:57.22 during the 10,000 meters. High jumpers Abigail White and Ramey Dahlquist were fourth and seventh, respectively, after both cleared 5-1. White won the tie breaker based on fewer misses. Long jumpers Olivia Bohlen and Karlee Warnke were sixth (17-6.25) and eighth (17-0.75), respectively. Sage Austin took sixth in the heptathlon with 3,563 points.
The final day of competition from the league championships starts today with field events at 10 am and running events at 1:30 pm.