TUCSON, ARIZ.—A seven-run, two-out explosion carried the Central College softball team to an encouraging finish at the NFCA Division III Leadoff Classic Sunday with a 10-5 victory over Whitworth University (Wash.).
           
Earlier Sunday, Linfield College (Ore.) pounded out an 11-5 win over the Dutch.
           
That left Central with a 3-3 mark in the three-day tournament which, for the first time, was staged in Tucson after previous runs in Georgia and Florida. Defending national champion Virginia Wesleyan was the only school in the elite 32-team field to finish the weekend 6-0 and claimed the tourney crown.
           
"It's encouraging," coach George Wares said. "When you look at who we were playing, I don't think we envisioned going 6-0, but I would have been disappointed if we went 0-6. Going 3-3 is a pretty solid start."
           
Sophomore transfer third baseman Kaitlyn Andresen (Davenport, Assumption HS), in her first weekend in a Central uniform had four hits on the day, including a 3-for-3 effort with three runs batted in against Whitworth. Her two-run triple highlighted a seven-run fifth inning after Whitworth (7-7) had tied the game 2-2. She was pushed into the lineup Saturday after an injury to freshman shortstop Daria Parchert (Illinois City, Ill., Rockridge HS).
           
"Kaitlyn's just a gamer," coach George Wares said. "She's a smart hitter. She doesn't get herself out very often and she makes adjustments as the game progresses. She does a really nice job."
           
Second baseman Paige Dickel (senior, Norwalk) had three hits in the two games and had two doubles in the pivotal fifth frame against Whitworth. Her first led off the inning, but two outs later, she was still at third base.
           
Then the parade began, with five consecutive Central hits and a walk for a 9-2 advantage. The Dutch had a runner 60 feet away from ending the game there but had another baserunner thrown out.
           
"I was disappointed we couldn't end it in the fifth," Wares said. "We made a mistake on the bases and we could have saved 30 pitches. But it's another quality win."
           
Pitcher Mariah Fritz (junior, Tama, East Marshall HS) pushed through a bumpy finish to get her second straight complete-game victory. She gave up five runs, including four in the final three innings, on 10 hits, with five walks and four strikeouts to improve to 2-1.
           
Wares liked Fritz's effort but said his pitching staff had a strenuous weekend.
           
"She wouldn't have been able to go much longer," Wares said.                              
           
Linfield (10-4) peppered Annie DeVries (senior, Eldridge, North Scott HS) with 15 hits. DeVries (1-2) went the distance but was tagged for 10 earned runs and walked four over six frames.
           
"Annie's a little down right now but she has to remember the quality of the teams she's facing," Wares said.
           
Central's first 10 hitters were retired in order against Linfield but an error got the Dutch going in a four-run fourth inning. Right fielder Tabitha Taylor (senior, Grimes, Dallas Center-Grimes HS), Andresen and Dickel all singled while catcher Emily Walton (senior, Cedar Rapids, Jefferson HS) doubled.
           
Linfield tied it in the bottom of the fourth but Central inched ahead 5-4 in the fifth when right fielder Shaye Witte (sophomore, West Des Moines, Waukee HS) led off with a triple and scored on an error on a stolen base by Lauren Bagby (junior, Norwalk). But a six-run Linfield fifth inning ended the suspense. The Wildcats added a run in the sixth.
           
"In a lot of ways, I was happy with the way we bounced back against Linfield," Wares said. "We thought we could get some runs and we did. But it's hard to get them out. They're really good offensively."
           
Wares said he's hopeful that Parchert might return before the end of the trip, but likes what he's seeing from the Dutch bench, citing Andresen and catcher Kylie Olson (junior, Mapleton, Minn., Maple River HS), who let Walton rest for a few innings.                                                               
           
"Kaitlyn (Andresen) and (converted shortstop) Lauren (Bagby) are handling the situation well, which is a tribute to them," Wares said. "Now if we have a situation later where we need someone to step in, we know we've got some people who can do it."
           
Central gets a day off before starting a 10-game run in the Tucson Invitational Games at the same site Tuesday. The Dutch return for a first-ever meeting Rockford College (Ill.) at 2:30 p.m. (Central Time) before taking on the College of Saint Benedict (Minn.) at 4:30 p.m. Rockford, 7-31 last year, opens its season in Tucson Monday. St. Ben's was 27-13 in 2017 and is 5-1 this year in six indoor games in Minnesota. The Blazers open their outdoor schedule Monday.
           
And another milestone—Wares, already the winningest coach in Division III softball history, can reach yet another milestone Tuesday with career victory No. 1,100. Sunday's win improves his remarkable 34-year record to 1,096-375-3 (.746). That includes a 92-56 postseason mark. He became the first Division III coach to record 1,000 wins on April 8, 2014. He's piloted Central to a record 28 NCAA Division III tournament berths with 13 national top-eight finishes, including four national championships. Wares was inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame in 2007.