The Lynnville-Sully varsity softball team is off to a 6-5 start to the season as the girls wrapped up their third week of action.
BGM
Hosting SICL opponent BGM on Wednesday, June 1, the Hawks had a few key innings that gave them the advantage over the Bears for the 15-8 victory.
L-S went up 6-0 after three innings, but BGM answered with a six-run fourth inning. Four more runs by the Hawks in the bottom of the fourth gave them back the edge, which they would keep for the rest of the game.
Senior catcher Kristen Van Der Wilt lines her glove up under a popped-up ball at the Saturday tournament.
The Hawks had 18 hits against the Bears. Junior Brenna Lanser had four hits, two runs, four RBIs, and two stolen bases. Junior Makenzy Rozendaal hit a triple and scored once. Freshman Carson Fisk scored four times for L-S, and senior Kasiah Ehresman tallied three runs.
Fisk earned the win by pitching 4-1/3 innings. She gave up six hits and seven runs while striking out two.
Pella
The next day, L-S faced the No. 10 team in Class 4A – Pella. The Lady Dutch defense kept the Hawks from gaining much momentum in the L-S girls’ 4-2 loss.
Fisk was on the mound for all six innings and gave up six hits and four runs. She also struck out two.
Ehresman scored the Hawks’ two runs and had two hits as well as two stolen bases. The only other hit came from Lanser’s single.
HLV
In their third game in three days, L-S headed to HLV on Friday, June 3, and pulled off the narrow 6-5 conference victory.
Rozendaal had a big night at bat with three hits, including two triples, as well as three RBIs. As a team, L-S had 12 hits.
Fisk earned the win after giving up four hits and four runs in 4-1/3 innings with two strikeouts. Eighth-grader Mallory Loftus relieved her for the final 2-2/3 innings, striking out three and allowing two hits and one run.
Oskaloosa Tourney
The busy week came to a close at the Oskaloosa Tournament on Saturday, where the Hawks went 1-1.
Cardinal of Eldon proved to be no match for the Hawks as L-S took the win, 13-0, in five innings. Senior Kristen Van Der Wilt went three-for-three at the plate with one single, one double, and one triple. Ehresman, Loftus, Rozendaal, and Lanser also scored twice. The Hawks had nine stolen bases, including three by Rozendaal and two by Ehresman.
After only giving up one hit, Fisk was credited with the win.
The Hawks didn’t fare quite as well in the second game of the day. Eddyville-Blakesburg, ranked fifth in Class 2A, limited the Hawk offense to eight hits in the L-S girls’ 8-4 loss.
Ehresman had pair of singles and three stolen bases, scoring once. Fisk pitched the first three innings and took the loss. She gave up nine hits and eight runs and struck out three. Loftus and McKinley Conover also saw time on the mound.
Belle Plaine
With just one day off, the Hawks returned to their home ball diamond on Monday to battle the Belle Plaine Plainsmen. It came down to the final inning, but the L-S players pulled off the win, 13-12.
Down 12-10 at the bottom of the seventh, the Hawks brought home three runners to chalk up the conference victory.
Senior Shelby Foster helped the Hawks by getting a hit all four times she went to bat. Two of her hits were doubles. Ehresman and Loftus both made it all the way around the diamond three times.
Fisk and Loftus split duties on the mound with Loftus earning the win. Between the two, they struck out five players.
Looking back on the Hawks’ past few games, L-S Coach Stacey Alberts saw improvement with her team.
“Friday night, we got a win, but did not play to our capability,” she said. “The girls played well and split on Saturday, but I was so proud of how they played the game. Monday, the girls showed a lot of grit and determination in a very hard-fought Belle Plaine game. They overcame adversity and pulled together. They make me proud to be their coach.”
The L-S softball team was scheduled for a doubleheader against Newton on Tuesday, June 7, as well as a conference game at Sigourney on Wednesday. They’ll host Pella Christian this Thursday and Des Moines Christian on Friday.
