Kelly Harris behind the plate May 3, 2008

Seventh-inning hit ends Dutch season

WAVERLY—What started as a season of frustration became one of great promise for the Central College softball team, but it was ended in dramatic fashion Saturday as a two-out seventh-inning hit gave Luther College a 2-1 Iowa Conference tournament victory.

The loss ousted the Dutch from the tourney as they close with a 24-16 mark. Luther (30-11) was then defeated by Coe, 1-0. League champion Wartburg defeated Coe for the tourney crown, 6-1.

The Norse spoiled one of the best performances of freshman pitcher KileyLythberg’s (Mount Prospect, Ill.) young collegiate career. Lythberg (10-8) limited Luther to four hits in 6.1 innings, striking out six. However, she yielded four walks, including two in the seventh inning. Megan Swingen (junior, Woden, Woden-Crystal Lake HS) entered with one out but issued another walk to load the bases. She then recorded a clutch strikeout but Luther’s Danielle Armbruster lined an 0-1 pitch off the right-field fence to end the game.

“I thought Megan pitched fine,” coach George Wares said. “She got ahead and went up and in, but (Armbruster) has been hitting really well. It wasn’t a bad pitch, she just hit it.”

Wares was encouraged by Lytherberg’s weekend.

“Kiley  had a great finish against Simpson (Friday) and was very sharp today,” coach George Wares said. “She put us in a position to win. You could really see her growth as a pitcher in the first inning. Luther put the first two runners on with a bunt and an error and had their best hitters coming up, but instead of allowing a big inning, she got out of it with a fly ball and two strikeouts.”

Central also missed a first-inning chance. Catcher Kelly Harris (senior, LeClaire, Pleasant Valley HS) opened the game with a single, but ran into a double play when Central popped up on a hit-and-run. Later in the inning a walk and an error sent runners to second and third, but the Dutch couldn’t capitalize.

“Obviously so much hinges on the first inning for us,” Wares said. “Kelly gets the lead-off hit but then the hit-and-run backfired for one of the rare times all season.”

Luther’s Armbruster had a lead-off double and scored in the second inning. The Dutch answered in the top of the third. Center fielder Alysha Overturf (junior, Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley HS) singled and later scored on an error. But Central didn’t advance a runner beyond first base the rest of the day and was limited to four hits.

Central’s 16 losses were the most suffered since the Dutch went 35-20 in 1986. Yet Wares saw tremendous growth. Central won seven of its last eight regular-season games. Wares pointed to an April 16 doubleheader loss at Coe College as a turning point. Coe rolled up an 8-0 five-inning whitewashing in the opener before hanging on for a 4-2 win in the nightcap. Central had the potential tying runs aboard when the game ended.

“We got buried in the first game and I think there was a lot of soul-searching between games,” Wares said. “Our response was very good and from that point on, you could sense something happening. The players stuck together and made a commitment to each other to get better and make a run.

“We went 1-2 in the conference tournament but we were right there and I think we can play with anybody in the conference right now. That’s what’s disappointing about having it end. We’re really playing well.

“Our hitting got better in recent weeks, our defense has progressively gotten better and the last few games our pitching improved as well.”

That bodes well for a freshman-dominated roster, provided continued improvement takes place in the off-season, a challenge Wares issued to the returning players.

“Normally when a season ends it’s good to have a few days off,” he said. “But with the way we were playing when this season ended and the group we have coming back, I feel like we should be starting tomorrow.”

But the Dutch graduate Harris and pitchers Amy Zellmer (North Mankato, Minn., Loyola HS) and Lacey Ritscher (Keystone, Benton HS).

Ritscher and Harris served as team co-captains. Ritscher was chosen by her teammates despite not joining the program until last season and seeing limited playing time. Ritscher was 1-1 with a 3.42 earned run average in 10 appearances while scoring three runs and stealing three bases as a pinch-runner.

“Lacey contributed some tremendous leadership,” Wares said. “She pitched an inning here or there and was a pinch-runner once in a while, but she was pretty important to this team. On Wednesday she volunteered to pitch for the JV so they could play a game and she ended up throwing nine innings. That’s the type of person she is.”

Zellmer put up consistent pitching numbers despite not always being a part of the rotation. She was 3-1 with a 2.15 ERA this year while going 21-5 with a 2.24 ERA for her career.

“In today’s world, a lot of people in Amy’s situation would have given it up,” Wares said. “She watched some freshmen not only pitching in front of her but struggling at times. Yet she stayed positive and gave us a very valuable performance yesterday (a 9-4 win over Simpson). And when it was over today, you could see the hurt on her face as much or more than you might expect to see on a player who was in every game.”

By any measure, Harris ranks with Central’s best.

For the season Harris hit .462, the second-highest Central average ever. She set school records for runs scored (49), home runs (9) and total bases (95) and ranks fourth in hits (55) and second in on-base percentage (.549). She also drove in 30 runs, had nine doubles and two triples and led the Dutch in stolen bases with 19 while posting a .978 fielding percentage. Harris helped Central rack up a 101-21 advantage over opponents in stolen bases. It’s the 14th time the Dutch have topped the 100-steal mark since 1990.

Harris posted the highest career batting average in school history (.379), a fraction ahead of the previous mark set by Anne Legg (2002-05). She also set school career marks for baserunners picked off (48), runs scored (145), slugging percentage (.577), stolen base percentage (.866, 71 of 82), total bases (280) and ranks second in career on-base percentage (.452), tied for fourth in hits (184), fifth in doubles (29), tied for second in triples (11), second in home runs (15), second in RBIs (112), sixth in stolen bases (71) and seventh in walks.

Remarkably, Harris did it all despite playing the entire season with two significant knee injuries and an assortment of other ailments.

“Kelly is easily one of the best players I’ve ever coached, not only because of her playing ability but because of the type of person she is,” Wares said. “Someone like that doesn’t come around very often. I feel lucky to have coached her.”