CEDAR RAPIDS—Forcing its way into the American Rivers title picture, the No. 20-ranked Central College softball team took down No. 17 Coe College in assertive fashion, 2-1 and 11-4 Saturday.
           
The road sweep in the top-20 matchup propels the Dutch (29-5 overall) into first place in the tightly contested conference race at 10-2 while Coe (29-7 overall) remains in hot pursuit at 11-3. The wins also vault Luther College (26-6 overall, 7-3 conference) into the picture as well and the Norse loom next on the Central schedule in a conference twinbill Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the A.N. Kuyper Athletics Complex softball field.
           
The opener had a familiar feel for the two traditional contenders as Central's Sydni Huisman (senior, Treynor) had a masterful pitching performance in a tense, one-run win. Huisman was touched for a solo second-inning home run but otherwise kept the Kohawks under wraps. Huisman (14-3) scattered five hits and two walks over seven innings with seven strikeouts.
           
Central responded to the Coe homer in the third inning with the only offense it needed as first baseman Megan Stuhr (junior, Sigourney) rocked a two-run double.
           
"Megan Stuhr had the hit of the day," Wares said.
           
The Dutch were also limited to five hits.
           
"Both (Huisman and Coe pitcher Ellie Thurow) threw well," coach George Wares said. "It was a fast, kind of throwback game where pitching and defense were definitely dominant."
           
It was just the second seven-inning complete game of the season for Huisman as Wares typically brings in Morgan Schaben (senior, Portsmouth, Harlan HS) to handle the final two innings. But he consulted Huisman and catcher Madison Farrington (senior, Marshalltown, East Marshall HS) after five frames.
           
"The three of us talked and I gave them input," Wares said. "She hadn't thrown a lot of pitches and was handling things pretty well. So it was a combination of those things that made us decide to go with her and she was able to close it for us."
           
But while form held in the opener, there was little predictable about game two and certainly not a six-run third-inning explosion that saw Central unleash its small-ball attack, sending 10 batters to the plate. Farrington had a two-run hit and designated player Emma Lenox (sophomore, Fremont, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont HS) had an RBI hit.
           
"Our players just made some really good decisions on the bases and some really good slides on bases where the ball beat us," Wares said. "It's stuff that we practice but they still have to do it in the games and they certainly did it well today for the most part."
           
Wares did elect to enter Schaben in the fifth inning after starter Emma Beck (freshman, Holland, Grundy Center HS) allowed a leadoff double but Coe was able to avert a mercy rule loss by cutting the margin to 8-3. Central responded with two runs in the sixth and, after Coe scored another run in the sixth, the Dutch answered again with a tally in the seventh. Stuhr, who also had a run-scoring hit in the first inning, drove in another in the sixth, as did Lenox. Third baseman Franie Burnett (junior, Ankeny, Centennial HS) knocked in a run in the seventh.
           
Lenox had three hits in the game while Stuhr and Farrington each had two.
           
"You're never comfortable playing a team like Coe in Cedar Rapids," Wares said. "Fortunately, every time they cut it a little bit, offensively we kept doing some things."
           
And Central's defense provided a lift at key times.
           
"The catch that Emma Jensen (sophomore, Earlham) made (in right field) in the seventh was tremendous," Wares said. "I didn't think there was any way but she just stayed with it and stayed with it. And the play that (shortstop) Carson Fisk (senior, Searsboro, Lynnville-Sully HS) made off (third baseman) Franie Burnett's glove with the throw from the hole. And then Megan Stuhr did a nice job of digging it out of the dirt.
           
"So, yeah, we made a lot of plays. We feel that's a huge strength that we have and our pitchers know that."
           
Beck returned in the sixth inning and finished the game as she improved to 10-0. She threw 6.0 innings, allowing a run on five hits with five walks and four strikeouts.
           
Saturday's victories also pushed associate head coach Alicia O'Brien closer to another major milestone. Her 475-185 record at Central, combined with her 423-213-3 mark in 18 seasons as head coach at Western Connecticut State University, give her a career mark of 898-398-3.
           
Her opportunity to reach the 900-win mark is a daunting one with Luther up next and the Norse in position to move to the top of the conference. They swept Simpson College 4-0 and 5-1 at Decorah Friday and will play host to the University of Dubuque Sunday before traveling to Pella.
           
"That's what this league is," Wares said. "Luther could easily sweep us and Coe swept Luther, that's what this league is all about. But it certainly feels better going into those games having won these two."