Timely hits and two long balls were enough for the Pella softball team to secure the season series over Pella Christian Monday night, as they earned a 5-3 weather-shortened victory heard live on the KRLS2 stream.
The Dutch got the scoring started in the top of the first inning, with Avery Parks drawing a walk, advancing to second base on a Lucy Carlson single, and scoring on a Elah Hiemstra single. The Eagles answered back in the bottom of the frame to tie that game at 1-1, with Amaia Agre recording a single, advancing to third on back-to-back walks, and scoring on a Brynn Roozeboom single. Pella regained the lead in the top of the second on a Madison Keske solo homer to centerfield, before Katie Scheckel scored on a second Hiemstra single in the third inning to take a 3-1 lead. Pella Christian didn’t trail long, as Agre scored on a Dutch throwing error off the bat of Faith Kacmarynski and Roozeboom batted in courtesy runner Nora Van Arendonk to knot the game back up at 3-3 in the bottom of the third. Pella took the advantage back for good in the fourth inning when Carlson singled home Parks, before Emma Eekhoff blasted a solo homer in the sixth to centerfield to complete the scoring. Going into the seventh and final inning, Abigail Melvin led off the frame with a single, but lightning moved into the area, resulting in the game being called.
Carlson, Hiemstra, and Melvin all recorded two hits for the Dutch in the win, with Hiemstra and Carlson also posting three of the five runs batted in. Roozeboom led the Eagles offense, going 2-3 with two RBIs. Carlson said that she believes that Pella is starting to find their stride as postseason play approaches and that it showed Monday night.
“We’re getting in the groove of things, we’re playing together as a team more, and I think just as the season has gone on we’ve started to learn more about each other. Obviously we don’t have the entire group that we had last year, and so it’s good to get in the groove of things, team bond, and hang out with each other. We’re with each other all the time, every single day, so it’s good when we get to go out on the field and show that.”
Pella improved to 13-10 overall and 8-6 in the Little Hawkeye Conference with the win, while Pella Christian fell to 7-12 overall and 3-11 in the conference. The Dutch return to action tonight at Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont at 7:30 pm, while the Eagles host Pleasantville tonight at 7:15 pm.