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April 16, 2009Dutch are walk-off winners on Everingham shot
PELLA—It was yet another walk-off winner for the Central College softball team as freshman designated player Rachael Everingham (Georgetown, Ill., Ridge Farm HS) belted a seventh-inning home run for a 3-2 comeback victory over Augustana College (Ill.) Thursday.
That completed a sweep for the No. 5-rated Dutch (28-4), who held off the Vikings 5-4 in game one.
Central had mustered just three hits off hard-throwing Augustana hurler Sheldon Ritzheimer (8-2), who had fanned five of the previous six Dutch hitters. But Everingham turned on a 1-2 pitch and drove it over the left-field fence for her second career homer to give the Dutch their fourth walk-off victory and their third in just over two weeks.
That made a winner of Megan Swingen (senior, Woden, Woden-Crystal Lake HS), who overcame some early struggles to improve to 12-1. Augustana used two hits, an error and a wild pitch to score two runs in the second inning and threatened for more, but Swingen didn’t allow another runner past second base. She yielded five hits, a walk and one earned run while pitching around three Central errors.
“Megan pitched very well to keep Augustana at two (runs),” coach George Wares said. “They had opportunities to break it open. But it was a great comeback and obviously nice for Rachael (Everingham).”
Swingen’s only strikeout of the day came against the lone batter she faced in the opener. She entered the game in relief of Kiley Lythberg (sophomore, Mount Prospect, Ill.) with two outs in the seventh inning and the tying run at second base but got the strikeout to nail down her second save.
Everingham’s shot was one of the few hard-hit balls off Ritzheimer. Central scratched out a run in the first on a walk to third baseman Afton Nelson (junior, Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley HS), a wild pitch and two sacrifices. Second baseman Angela Davis (freshman, West Des Moines, Valley HS) tied the game 2-2 in the fourth. A bunt single, a sacrifice, a passed ball and a squeeze bunt by first baseman Katie Tenboer (sophomore, Morrison, Ill.) brought her home.
The Central bats made more noise in the opener, with seven hits. A solo home run by shortstop Kelsey Wright (freshman, Gilbertville, Don Bosco HS)and an RBI single by right fielder Laura Braun (junior, Newton) put Central up 2-0. Then with two outs and two runners aboard in the fourth inning, Wares pushed the right button. He lifted the team’s leading hitter, freshman catcher Kyrie Hale (Lee’s Summit, Mo.), and pinch-hit with Trysh Shimak (sophomore, Cedar Rapids, Kennedy HS). Shimak, who delivered a two-run pinch-hit in a win over Buena Vista Univ. Wednesday, responded by crushing her first collegiate home run, a three-run shot to left field.
However, Augustana (20-8) came roaring back with three runs in the fifth and another in the seventh. The Vikings had the tying run at second in the seventh inning when Hale made a diving grab of a bunt that was popped foul and fired to third base where the runner was caught in a rundown for a double play. Augustana’s Karlee Quaritsch followed with a two-out single but then Swingen shut the door.
“You have to give Augustana credit,” Wares said. “We probably got a little overly excited when we went up 5-0 and got a false sense of security. Of all teams, we should know that it’s not over at that point. Augustana’s a quality team and they battled back.”
Lythberg (12-2) was tagged for four runs on nine hits, walking one and striking out four in 6.2 innings.
While Augustana didn’t add to its impressive basestealing numbers, the Vikings did employ their team speed effectively.
“Probably the only team we’ve faced this year with that much speed was Wis.-Eau Claire,” Wares said.
But the Dutch made good use of their trademark baserunning skills as well, with four more stolen bases, giving Central a 90-6 advantage in thefts this season.
Wares said Augustana’s offense revealed the Dutch still need some defensive work, but that will have to be developed on the fly. Central has to come back Saturday to take on surprising Coe College in a 2 p.m. Alumni Day doubleheader at the A.N. Kuyper Athletics Complex field. The Kohawks grabbed a share of the Iowa Conference lead with an 8-2 mark and a 26-8 overall record with a stunning sweep of No. 4-rated Luther College at Decorah Wednesday, 8-0 and 4-0. Central is in third place at 9-3 and needs a sweep to entertain any notions of winning a league title. Coe has scored seven straight victories over the Dutch, who haven’t prevailed since splitting a twinbill in 2006.
Saturday’s games will be broadcast on KRLS-FM (92.1) with Trevor Castle. The games can also be heard at www.kniakrls.com or www.central.edu/athletics.
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