Warrior bats come alive during 2-1 week
Ashlyn Scherf high fives Warrior head coach Ashley Funk after hitting her second home run in the doubleheader against Clayton Ridge. (Photos by Bev Hamann)
Oakley Armstrong gets a force out at third base against the Eagles.
Reese Berns fields a ball during a Central game against Clayton Ridge.
By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register
The bats were swinging this past week for the Central softball team, which put up 29 runs in three games, while going 2-1. This inched the Warriors up the standings, as they improved to 2-2 in conference play and 3-5 overall.
The Warriors started the week at home versus Waukon. Despite falling behind early—down 6-1 as they entered the top of the fifth inning—the Warrior bats came alive. They punched across four runs, but the Indians responded with a nine-run bottom of the fifth, en route to a 15-5 victory.
Leading the offense was Ashlyn Scherf, who went 3-3 with two doubles, two RBIs and one run scored. Delaney Scherf was 1-3 with an RBI and run scored, while Taylor Moser doubled in three at-bats, and had an RBI and run scored. Katelyn Scherf singled and knocked in a run.
The Warriors’ batting average was an impressive .318, with a .348 OBP, with just four strikeouts, while stealing two bases, one by Ashlyn Scherf and the other by Oakley Armstrong.
On the mound, the Warriors staff gave up 19 hits and struck out three Indians. No individual pitching stats were available.
Central took its hot bats on the road for a doubleheader against Clayton Ridge on June 7, and both games were proverbial slugfests.
In game one, the Warriors took a 4-0 lead after the first inning, but trailed 5-4 heading into the sixth inning. Central tacked on two more runs, but the Eagles responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth, maintaining a 7-6 lead. In the top of the seventh, the Warriors pounded the Eagles pitching staff for four runs, and Central’s Katelyn Scherf stamped out a Clayton Ridge rally, giving the Warriors a 10-8 victory.
The offense was led by Moser, who went 2-4 with a homerun, two RBIs and two runs scored. Ashlyn Scherf also homered, drove in two runs and scored, and Delaney Scherf went a perfect 4-4 with a double, homerun, RBI and three runs scored. Katelyn Scherf was responsible for three RBIs and Armstrong finished 2-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.
The Warriors hit .355 in the game, with 11 hits—five singles, three doubles and three homeruns. They had no strikeouts.
Central sent out Katelyn Scherf to face the Eagle hitters, and she put together a complete game, holding Clayton Ridge to a .205 batting average, while giving up eight hits and striking out two hitters.
In game two, the Warriors kept scoring and the Eagles kept responding, as both teams scored runs in each of the first five innings. Central led 10-8 heading into the sixth, then tacked on three more runs. With no response from the Eagles, Central won 14-9.
In the batter’s box, Delaney Scherf went 4-4 with two singles, a double and a triple. She had five RBIs and two runs scored. Tori Sylvester was 2-5 with two RBIs, and Ashlyn Scherf went 2-4, including a homerun, and had two RBIs and three runs scored. Moser was 5-5 with four singles and a triple, had one RBI and scored four runs. Reese Berns was 2-4 with an RBI and two runs scored and Armstrong 2-5 with an RBI and one run scored.
Ashlyn Scherf went three and one-third innings, holding the Eagles to a .150 average, while allowing just three hits and striking out five. Katelyn Scherf pitched three and two-thirds innings, in which she gave up six hits and struck out four batters.
The Warriors have a pair of doubleheaders this week, starting June 14 at Turkey Valley. Central will then be at home June 16 versus Maquoketa Valley.
