Alysha Overturf March 20, 2009

Central stuns No. 2 Wis.-Eau Claire

TUCSON, ARIZ..—It started innocently enough.  

When Central College first baseman Katie Tenboer (sophomore, Morrison, Ill.) lined a 3-1 sixth-inning pitch into center field for a single, Friday’s game was still firmly under the control of defending NCAA Division III softball champion Wis.-Eau Claire. The No. 2-rated Blugolds, who had soundly defeated Central 7-2 last Saturday, were up 4-0 and had first-team all-American Jenny Ross in the pitching circle.

But nine batters later, Central had pulled off a remarkable six-run rally and held on in the seventh inning for a 6-4 come-from-behind stunner.

The Dutch, who were up before 6 a.m. after playing late Thursday afternoon and evening, then fought through some fatigue for a 6-2 victory over St. Mary’s Univ. (Minn.) to improve to 13-1. It’s Central’s best start since 2003.

Wis.-Eau Claire struck early, as Bekki Kidnie homered in the second inning. The Blugolds added a run in the fourth inning and two more in the sixth. Central mustered just four hits off Ross in the first five innings

But Tenboer’s single jump-started a six-run, six-hit uprising. Left fielder Hannah Weindruch (senior, Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley HS), second baseman Angela Davis (freshman, West Des Moines, Valley HS) and third baseman Afton Nelson (junior, Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley HS) each delivered clutch two-run hits. The Dutch also had base hits from designated player Rachael Everingham (freshman, Georgetown, Ill., Ridge Farm HS) and catcher Kyrie Hale (freshman, Lee’s Summit, Mo.) and a walk from freshman shortstop Kelsey Wright (Gilbertville, Don Bosco HS).

“To do what we did in the sixth inning is not easy to do against an all-American pitcher,” coach George Wares said. “We had a lot of kids give us clutch at-bats and we had some solid baserunning. For Kelsey (Wright) as a freshman, to show the discipline she did and take a walk and for Angela (Davis) to step up the way she did and go the other way with a pitch were really big.”

Wis.-Eau Claire came back firing in the seventh inning, stringing together three one-out singles to load the bases. But pitcher Kiley Lythberg (sophomore, Mount Prospect, Ill.) gota fly ball for the second out. Then Kidnie, who had homered and singled earlier in the game, belted a rocket to right-center field but it was tracked down with a running grab by center fielder Alysha Overturf (senior, Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley HS). Overturf had prevented additional damage earlier with a theatric catch of a shot hit deep to center.

Lythberg gave up three earned runs on nine hits with no walks and four strikeouts. Central finished with 10 hits and two walks in handing Ross (4-1) her first defeat.

Lythberg (6-0) came back and pitched the nightcap, getting relief help from Megan Swingen (senior, Woden, Woden-Crystal Lake HS). Lythberg threw 5.2 innings, giving up seven hits with no walks and five strikeouts. Swingen allowed no hits and a walk with one strikeout in 1.1 innings.

“I talked to Kiley already in the first game about (pitching in the second game),” Wares said. “We decided to give it a shot and just see what she could do. She did pretty well although she had to kind of gut it out in the second game. I thought Megan (Swingen) gave us what we needed and then Kiley came back in and finished it strong.”

Wright, who had five hits and a walk while reaching base seven times in the two games, singled and scored in a two-run first inning against St. Mary’s, then singled, stole a base and scored again in the second inning. St. Mary’s got runs in the third and fifth innings to pull within 3-2, but Central added an insurance tally in the fifth inning and two more in the sixth when Wright delivered a two-run hit.

Tenboer had four hits on the day while Weindruch, Nelson and Davis each had three hits.

Central closes its 14-game, eight-day trip Saturday, meeting St. Olaf College (Minn.) at 9 a.m. (Pacific Daylight Time) and the College of St. Catherine (Minn.) at 11 a.m.

Wares conceded his squad is tired.

“To do what we did and stay as focused as we did, there’s not much to be unhappy about as a coach,” he said. “That being said, there are still a lot of things we can improve. That’s why we’re so optimistic.”