PELLA— Coach George Wares was admittedly delighted with Central College's opening-game 7-4 comeback victory and two Tabitha Taylor (sophomore, Grimes, Dallas Center-Grimes HS) home runs against Coe College Tuesday, and disappointed in five errors in a 10-3 nightcap nightmare.
Just don't call him surprised.
"Today was kind of what we are right now," Wares said. "We can be really, really good and we can be really, really not so good. And if there was one day that showed that, it was today."
On the good side is Taylor, the left fielder who flashed great promise late in her freshman season and, after a slow start, is swinging a torrid bat again. In the past 11 games she's hitting .529 with six doubles, two homers, 14 RBIs and just one strikeout.
"Tabitha is seeing the ball very well, obviously," Wares said.
Taylor gave the Dutch (21-11 overall, 7-3 Iowa Conference) a big lift when game one started slipping away Wednesday. After taking a 3-0 lead in a third inning highlighted by a two-run double by third baseman Lauren Bagby (freshman, Norwalk), the Dutch were tagged for a run in the fifth and three more in the sixth, finding themselves suddenly trailing 4-3. But a two-run Taylor shot to left field reignited Central, which posted a four-run sixth inning.
"That was just a tremendous response by the whole team," Wares said.
The Dutch turned back-to-back hits by pitcher Karly Olson (junior, Winterset) and designated player Kylie Olson (freshman, Mapleton, Minn., Maple River HS) into runs to complete the scoring. Starter Karly Olson, who was relieved by Annie DeVries (sophomore, Eldridge, North Scott HS) in the fifth inning, returned in the sixth and pitched a scoreless seventh for the victory.
Olson threw 5.2 innings, allowing one earned run on four hits with three walks and four strikeouts. Central outhit Coe 8-6 as Taylor and Karly Olson each went 2-for-3.
Coe (20-8 overall, 4-6 conference) got two second-inning runs off Olson and never trailed in the second game. DeVries entered the game in the third as Central went down 3-0. Still, another two-run Taylor blast to left field put Central in position for another comeback.
Instead, the contest took a swift and nasty turn. Coe used four hits, two errors and some bad defensive decisons for a five-run fourth inning that ended the suspense.
"That's what differentiates us from being on the good side," Wares said. "We were struggling, we had some things that weren't going right and then the home run makes it 3-2. That's when you need to follow it up with a shutdown inning. I think Annie (DeVries) was doing enough things well to give us that, but we just broke down defensively."
Olson (17-11) absorbed the loss, yielding three runs on three hits and three walks with a strikeout in two-plus innings. DeVries was charged with three earned runs on four hits and two walks with two strikeouts in 4.0 innings and Trisha Smith (senior, New Hampton) surrendered two runs on three hits and a walk in the seventh.
Central was outhit 10-8, as Taylor again had two hits. She's upped her season average to .371. Catcher Emily Walton (sophomore, Cedar Rapids, Jefferson HS) had two hits on the day, including a double, and has a team-high .395 mark.
Central retains a share of second place in the Iowa Conference heading into the league season's final four games. But the Dutch must journey to Decorah Saturday to tangle with No. 2-ranked Luther College in a 1 p.m. twinbill. The Norse (30-2 overall, 7-1 conference) saw their 27-game winning streak snapped in stunning fashion Tuesday, 12-4 in six innings at Wartburg, before needing just five innings to rout the Knights 14-2 in the second game.
Meanwhile, consistency doesn't even reside in the same time zone as the youthful Dutch, who have just one senior starter. Wares said the team's inexperience isn't an excuse, just reality.
"We've got a lot of 18 and 19-year olds instead of 20-21-22-year-olds," he said. "We've got a lot of immature players--in terms of athleticism, not as people."
Taylor, while just a sophomore, is an example of the kind of poise and sense of urgency a year of experience can bring, Wares said.
"Tabitha gets that now," he said. "Every at-bat is important to her, plus what she's doing in left field. Last year she didn't have that."
But inexperience could have an upside when the Dutch, who have played one of the nation's toughest schedules, have to travel to take on a powerful club that has dominated the league.
"The good side of that youth is I don't think they think too much about that," Wares said with a smile. "We've had some good practices and I think we'll have some more in the next few days. Luther is very, very good and they're well-coached. But we're going to do everything we can to try to get the first game, and then we'll try to get game two."
Saturday's contest will be broadcast by KRLS-FM (92.1) with the voice of the Dutch, Trevor Castle. The broadcast can also be accessed via www.kniakrls.com.
