Coach George Wares and Alysha Overturf April 22, 2008

Central sweeps BV; No. 800 for Wares

STORM LAKE—Central College’s George Wares became just the second softball coach in NCAA Division III history to reach the 800-victory mark as the Dutch swept Buena Vista University Tuesday, 9-0 in five innings and 8-4. The wins move Central to 20-13 overall and 7-7 in league play, assuring the Dutch a berth in the six-team Iowa Conference tournament at Waverly May 1-3. Buena Vista slipped to 8-24 overall and 2-12 in the league.

Wares, in his 24th season, has compiled an 800-269-3 mark (.747) with 20 NCAA tournament berths and four national titles. He trails only Muskingum College (Ohio) coach Donna Newberry on the all-time Division III wins list. Newberry, in her 34th year, has an 835-376-1 (.688) record. Wares was inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame in December.

Left fielder Hannah Weindruch (junior, Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley HS) continued her recent surge, going 5-for-7 on the day with four runs scored and an inside-the-park home run. Weindruch lined the homer into the left field corner and was able to race home ahead of the throw for her second round-tripper of the season.

“Hannah’s making very good reads,” Wares said. “She’s laying down the bunt when it’s there. She’s hitting the ball to left field consistently but she’s also able to go to right. She’s hitting exactly the way we need her to as the No. 5 hitter. She’s a big plus for us right now.”

Third baseman Katie Tenboer (freshman, Morrison, Ill.) had the most productive offensive showing of her young Central career, going 5-for-7 with two runs scored and four RBIs. Tenboer’s average leaped 40 points to .267.

“Katie had a really good day,” Wares said.

Catcher Kelly Harris (senior, LeClaire, Pleasant Valley HS) again had a hot bat. She was 4-for-6 with a double and a triple, three runs scored and two stolen bases. She upped her team-high season average to .452 and also leads the club in runs (37), RBIs (27) and stolen bases (16). The Dutch stole eight bases, including seven in the second game.

First baseman Ryann Engholm (junior, Bloomington, Minn., Thomas Jefferson HS) knocked in five runs with three hits. She has 24 RBIs for the year.

Kiley Lythberg (freshman, Mount Prospect, Ill.), now 9-7,tossed a two-hit shutout in the five-inning opener. She struck out two and hit a batter while walking none.

Megan Swingen (junior, Woden, Woden-Crystal Lake HS) improved to 7-3 in the nightcap. She yielded four hits in 6.2 innings, surrendering a home run while walking one and striking out six. Swingen left the game briefly but returned to close and got out of a seventh-inning jam when Alysha Overturf (junior, Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley HS) snared a line drive in the gap with a diving game-ending catch. The Dutch committed only one error in the two games.

“Defensively we were pretty sharp all day,” Wares said. “Megan (Swingen) was really good. The home run she gave up was a bad call on my part.”

Central wraps up league play by traveling to Decorah Saturday to take on defending conference champion Luther College in a 2 p.m. doubleheader. The Norse (26-9 overall, 9-5 conference) dropped a pair to No. 6-ranked Wartburg College at Waverly Tuesday, 2-0 and 2-1.

“We’re glad we’re in the conference tournament now,” Wares said. “We didn’t want to have to go to Luther having to win to get in. We can go up there just trying to get better and maybe improve our position.”