Following a successful past week on the ball diamond, the Lynnville-Sully softball team sits at 13 consecutive wins. The girls played hard this week to add five wins to their record and keep the momentum going in the second half of the season.
Win over West Marshall
West Marshall came to Sully to battle the Hawks on Tuesday, June 16, and went home with a loss after suffering an 8-1 defeat. The L-S girls scored one run in the second inning, six in the fourth, and one in the fifth to go up 8-0. The Trojans were able to bring in a run in the final inning, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Hawks’ lead.
Eighth-grader Maria Rasmusson connects with the ball in the West Marshall game. The designated hitter had one of the Hawks’ 15 hits against the Trojans.
L-S had 15 hits in the game. Senior Madison Rasmusson and junior Kasiah Ehresman both went 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs for Rasmusson and one RBI for Ehresman. Senior Lysandra James hit a homer and had one RBI.
Madison Rasmusson earned the win on the mound after pitching six innings. She struck out six and allowed one hit. Her eighth-grade sister, Maria Rasmusson, pitched the final inning, striking out one and allowing two bases on balls, one hit, and one earned run.
Pair of victories at HLV
With no days off in between games, the Hawks headed to HLV on Wednesday, June 17, for a double-header against the Warriors.
The first game started off slower for L-S, and the score remained close until the final inning, when the Hawks pulled ahead for an 8-0 victory.
Junior Kristen Van Der Wilt had an RBI single to score classmate Lizzy Van Manen in the second inning, giving L-S a 1-0 advantage. Neither team scored in the next several innings. Great defense by Madison Rasmusson – who fielded her position, faked a throw to first, and tagged out an HLV runner heading home – kept the score at 1-0 after the fourth inning.
Sophomore catcher Lizzy Van Manen lines herself up under the ball for an out against West Marshall at home on Tuesday, June 16.
In the top of the sixth, L. James hit an RBI double to bring in Madison, adding another run to the L-S side of the scoreboard. A couple strikeouts in a row, however, quickly brought the Hawks back out to the field for defense. Madison threw a strikeout, and sophomore Brenna Lanser and Van Der Wilt each fielded the ball once for two outs to bring the sixth inning to a close.
The seventh inning is when things finally started to click for the Hawks at the plate. The girls batted around in the inning, starting with Maria Rasmusson with a base hit up the middle. The Hawks scored six runs on five hits – including James’ two-run homerun (her fourth of the season) – to establish a solid 8-0 lead. A quick second half of the inning closed out the game – the Hawks’ fourth shutout of the year.
Rasmusson pitched all seven innings, giving up just two hits. She walked one batter and struck out four.
The second game against HLV ended similar to the first with the Hawks up 7-1. Ehresman went 3-for-3 at the plate, scored two runs, and had one RBI. Madison pitched all seven innings, allowing two hits, one earned run, and two bases on balls. She also struck out four.
L-S slips past Sigourney
Two days later, the Hawks were back on the road, this time traveling to Sigourney, where they earned a 4-2 victory. The girls went up 4-0 by the top of the fifth before the Savages scored a run in the fifth and a run in the sixth to narrow the Hawks’ lead. Both teams were scoreless in the seventh as the game drew to a close.
The Hawks had six hits against Sigourney, including two from Ehresman and two from Madison. James was credited with two RBIs.
Madison picked up the win from the mound with six strikeouts in seven innings. She gave up seven hits, two runs (one earned), and one base on balls.
The game dropped Sigourney’s record to 17-6 this season.
Iowa Valley falls to L-S
The week of June 22 got off on the right foot for the L-S girls after they topped Iowa Valley, 8-3, on Monday. The Hawks scored four runs in the first inning and four runs in the fourth inning in the victory.
Madison had two hits, including a triple, as well as two RBIs. On the mound, she pitched six innings, struck out five, and allowed four hits and one earned run. Her sister, Maria, wrapped up the game by pitching one inning, allowing two hits, two earned runs, and one base on balls.
The win brings the Hawks’ record to 20-2 overall this season.
Looking back on the past week, L-S Coach Stacey Alberts said, “Defensively, we are playing well. We are staying ahead of situations and making plays. Overall, I have been pleased with our performance on the field, the mound, and at the plate for this time of the year.”
Now in the second half of the season, Alberts said, “We will continue to improve at executing at the plate, depending on the situation. On the mound, we will start to move the ball around more, especially on the first few pitches in a count.”
The softball girls were scheduled to host English Valleys on Tuesday, June 23, and Keota in a doubleheader on Wednesday, June 24. They will head to Tri-County on Friday and a tournament at Marshalltown on Saturday before hosting Montezuma on Monday, June 29.
