DUBUQUE — A pair of five-run innings helped secure a Central College softball sweep with 5-2 and 9-2 victories at the University of Dubuque Saturday.
Both games had their anxious moments. The Dutch (20-10 overall, 6-2 Iowa Conference) snapped a scoreless tie in the third inning of the opener with a five-run frame, but Dubuque (7-21 overall, 0-6 conference) got runs in the fourth and fifth off relief pitcher Annie DeVries (sophomore, Eldridge, North Scott HS) before starter Karly Olson (junior, Winterset) returned to close it out with two shutout innings.
Central was nursing a 4-2 lead in the nightcap when Olson had to wriggle free from a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the fifth inning. But the Dutch broke it open with a five-run uprising in the seventh inning.
Coach George Wares said the victories were the best tonic for a club still feeling the effects of a disappointing doubleheader loss at Buena Vista Wednesday.
"It was a good day," he said. "After the second game today, everyone was feeling a little better."
Olson (14-10) picked up both wins. She threw a combined 10 innings, yielding one earned run on six hits with four walks and 11 strikeouts.
"Karly was pretty sharp," Wares said. "And we didn't have to have her throw a ton of pitches."
DeVries came back to throw a scoreless seventh inning in the second game. Meanwhile, freshman Audria Wagenknecht (freshman, Aurora, Ill., Waubonsie Valley HS) made just her third pitching appearance in the opener and induced an inning-ending double play in the fifth inning.
Wares tinkered with the batting order and got production from several players. Central outhit Dubuque 8-7 in the opener and 11-6 in the nightcap. Left fielder Tabitha Taylor (sophomore, Grimes, Dallas Center-Grimes HS) had three hits on the day, including her eighth double, and knocked in two runs. She has a team-high 32 hits for the year and upped her average to .356. Catcher Emily Walton (sophomore, Cedar Rapids, Jefferson HS) had three hits and knocked in three runs and is hitting a team-high .382 in limited at-bats. Meanwhile, second baseman Paige Dickel (sophomore, Norwalk), who didn't bat in the first game, was 2-for-3 in the second game, including a three-run double in the seventh inning.
"We had some pretty good at-bats," Wares said. "Tabitha (Taylor) obviously continues to really swing it well."
Wares said he challenged a few of the team's veterans to up their game.
"I thought Sarah Bowen (junior, New Sharon, North Mahaska HS) really responded well," he said. "She probably made the best catch she's had since she came to Central when she made a diving catch in right field."
The Dutch, who have just three doubleheaders left on the regular-season slate, are back at home Tuesday, taking on Coe College in a 3 p.m. league doubleheader at the A.N. Kuyper Athletics Complex field. The Kohawks are perennial NCAA tourney contenders and recorded a 4-3, 6-2 sweep at Wartburg College Saturday after getting off to a slow start in league play. They improved to 19-7 overall and 3-5 in the conference.
A video webcast and live stats will be available through the Central athletics website at www.central.edu/athletics.
