INDIANOLA — The margins were slim in a 3-2 loss Thursday for the Central College softball team against the College of Saint Benedict (Minn.) in the opening game of the Division III Regional.
Central is still alive in the double elimination tournament and plays Greenville University (Ill.) Friday at 1:30 p.m. in Indianola. Central will have to win twice on Friday and twice on Saturday to advance to the Super Regional next weekend.
Shut out for the first six innings and trailing 3-0, the Dutch offense came alive in the top of the seventh. A
Rylee Dunkin (junior, catcher, Hamilton, Twin Cedars HS) walk,
Larissa Miller (junior, second baseman, Ankeny) single and a throwing error by the Bennies put two in scoring position for the Dutch.
Sarah Stufflebeam (junior, shortstop, Macomb, Ill.) put Central on the board with an RBI single.
Hannah Higgins (senior, third baseman, Macomb, Ill.) reached on a fielder's choice, scoring Miller in the process to make it 3-2.
Emma Anderson (sophomore, right fielder, Forest City) was a half-step slow of a bunt single but advanced Higgins to second with a sacrifice.
Addi Starr's (sophomore, first baseman, Ankeny, Centennial HS) short popup was caught by a diving Bennies pitcher to end the game.
Dunkin and Anderson both had two hits as the Dutch outhit the Bennies 7-4.
Peyton Levine (freshman, Oswego, Ill., Yorkville HS) and
Jadyn Huisman (sophomore, Treynor) alternated throughout the game in the circle, but it was Huisman who took the loss after allowing two earned runs on four hits in 3.1 innings. Levine allowed one earned run to cross in 2.2 innings. The duo combined to issue nine walks.
