HTC falls in three to WB/ND

WEST POINT — Loren Menke is still seeing the ups and downs that come with a young softball team.
Tuesday’s 12-0 3-inning loss to No. 14 (Class 3A) West Burlington-Notre Dame was one of those downs that Menke would like to limit.
The Crusaders (3-4 overall, 2-2 SEI Superconference South Division) were coming off a 4-0 win over Lone Tree on Monday, and while the Falcons (12-2, 5-0) were a step up in competition, Menke would have liked to have seen his team build on what was accomplished the night before.
“I mean, we didn't play very well at all,” Menke said. “Between these guys and Central Lee, they’re the top of the (division). It was kind of a good measuring stick, because I told the girls we've been playing really well defensively, and tonight, we didn't play well defensively. West Burlington hits the ball hard, and they make you make plays.”
The Falcons scored five runs in the top of the first inning, two coming on an error and one on a wild pitch. Holy Trinity pitcher Sydney Jarvis pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the second inning, then WB-ND put the game away with seven runs in the top of the third, with an eighth run getting erased when Lyndsey Kelley was called out for leaving third base too early on what looked like a sacrifice fly by Lacey Felkins.
WB-ND pitcher Maddy Thomas threw a no-hitter, although the Crusaders did have a scoring chance off her in the second inning. Morgan Krogmeier walked with one out and advanced to third base on two wild pitches. Krogmeier tried to score on Ellie Hellman’s fly ball to center field, but she was thrown out at the plate by center fielder Anna Engberg to end the inning.
Holy Trinity got a runner in scoring position in the third inning, when Izzy Behne walked to open the inning and advanced to second on Kat DiPrima’s ground out to third. But Thomas got the next two hitters to end the game on the 12-run rule.
The Falcons had 12 hits.
“We hit the ball better tonight,” WB-ND coach David Oleson said. “We made a few changes with the lineup that’s been pretty much the same the last couple of weeks. Those changes seemed to work, and that’s good.”
It was just another step in the season for the young Crusaders.
“I’m not down on the girls at all,” Menke said. “It wasn’t a great game. But right now, we’re a young team, and we’re going to have games like this. Last night we had a really good game — we played about as good of a game as we’ve had all season. Tonight we didn’t. So we just have to keep going, get better, and see where we can go.”