Katie Tenboer May 2, 2009

Defense dooms Dutch in tourney

PELLA—Defensive breakdowns doomed the Central College softball team, which saw its Iowa Conference tournament run end with a topsy-turvy 8-5 setback against Luther College.  

The top-seeded Dutch, ranked No. 2 in the NFCA Division III poll, close their regular season at 36-6 and awaits word on its NCAA tournament fate. The 59-team field will be announced Monday morning with play at eight sites beginning Thursday.

A sixth-inning grand slam by Luther’s Lauran Snyder was the difference on the scoreboard, but according to Dutch coach George Wares, it was Central’s season-worst five errors that forced the team’s early exit. All eight of Luther’s runs were unearned. The Norse (33-8) struck for four other unearned tallies in the third inning.

“Our defensive philosophy is don’t give up the big inning,” Wares said. “But that’s what we did. The last four runs were especially disappointing because we had just worked so hard to tie the score, then we gave it right back. But it wasn’t the home run that beat us. It was what led to it.”

Luther’s sixth-inning rally came with two outs, loading the bases on an error, a walk and a hit batter before Snyder’s blow.

Yet Central displayed much of the fight that has characterized its Iowa Conference championship season, taking advantage of six hits and eight walks. Down 4-1 in the fourth inning, Central struck back with a two-run homer by freshman shortstop Kelsey Wright (Gilbertville, Don Bosco HS), her third of the season. Then freshman designated player Rachael Everingham (Georgetown, Ill., Ridge Farm HS) brought home the tying run on a fifth-inning sacrifice fly.

And again in the bottom of the seventh, Central battled back. Trailing 8-4, Central loaded the bases with two outs. Freshman catcher Kyrie Hale (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) delivered an RBI single to make it 8-5. Then, with the bases still full and the tying run at first base, pinch-hitter Trysh Shimak (sophomore, Cedar Rapids, Kennedy HS) gave the crowd a split-second thrill when she lined a shot down the left-field line that was just foul. But she then popped out the end the threat.

“I thought we had some really disciplined at-bats and some timely hits,” Wares said.

Kiley Lythberg (sophomore, Mount Prospect, Ill.) took the loss, pitching in relief of Megan Swingen (senior, Woden, Woden-Crystal Lake HS). Lythberg (16-4) gave up four runs on five hits and a walk while striking out two in 3.2 innings. Swingen went 2.1 innings, giving up four runs on two hits and a walk with two strikeouts. Allyse Vander Plaats (junior, Apple Valley, Calif., Naperville, Ill. North HS) threw a scoreless seventh inning.

Central’s task now is to see how much improvement can be made in the four days before the NCAA tourney begins while also getting sufficient recovery time. But Wares said much of what the Dutch need is situational work.

“A lot of the hits we gave up were on favorable counts,” he said. “It’s not so much physical things.”

The conference tournament will serve well as a teaching tool.

“All the things that came up during the tournament will be good for us,” Wares said. “There are some obvious lessons to be learned. We hope to take those things and improve on them in the postseason.”

Among those lessons is the team’s mental approach.

“The biggest thing is to play to win and not be afraid of losing,” Wares said. “We want to be aggressive and do the things we usually do but do them better.”

Wares doesn’t lack confidence in his club.

“I like this team and I like taking them to (the NCAA tournament),” he said. “I think this team will represent Central College and the Iowa Conference well."