The Dike-New Hartford summer sports teams won three games at home over Aplington-Parkersburg Monday. In a game that aired on 99 The Wave, the #15 (2A) Wolverine softball team won 14-6 in five innings. DNH swept the baseball doubleheader 11-1 in five innings and 3-2.
The Falcons got on the board in the first inning when Avery Freund sent a two-run homer to left field. After the Wolverines were held scoreless in the first, they scored six in the second inning, including two when Kiersten Christiansen reached on an error. Jordan Trueblood singled to drive in an AP run in the third, followed by another big swing by Freund.
Freund’s second home run went to right field to cut AP’s deficit to 6-5. After adding two in the third, DNH had another six-run inning in the fourth, including Christiansen driving in two more.
Christiansen totaled three RBIs and Madde Buskohl was the hit leader with three. Senior Hanna Steffen was 2-3, and says the focus lately has been on positive at-bats.
“We’ve put a big focus on not pushing too hard because we’ve had a lot of games where we really have good bats and the balls just don’t fall,” Steffen says. “So we try to make sure we always keep our composure because eventually the hits do fall. So that was something we focused on today. And just barreling up balls and making sure we’re having good at bats. So if we have quality at bat, even if we don’t get on base, we try and stay positive.”
“I’m really pleased with how they looked at the plate today,” DNH coach Tianna Butteris says. “We talked a lot about just staying true to ourselves and making sure that we’re not starting to press. Because over this last weekend, we were getting some great at-bats off, but they weren’t necessarily falling our way. And we talked a lot about when that’s happening, you don’t need to work outside of yourself. Stay within yourself. They’re going to fall eventually as long as you keep putting good at-bats up there. And they followed that game plan perfectly tonight. And they finally started going our way. I mean, it looks like 13 hits tonight. But that’s how they were barreling the ball last weekend. So I’m just really proud that they stayed within themselves and didn’t try to do too much in the box.”
The Wolverines finished the game without striking out at the plate.
Freund was 2-3 and Eva Walker was 3-3 offensively to lead the Falcons.
“I thought the pitching was good, Ada started really strong,” AP coach Travis Walker says. “The big inning they had on her was on our defense. So we’re just kind of prone to making those mistakes with some, like we talked about last time, with some inexperienced kids in the lineup that are just kind of getting their feet under them. So that’s just where we’re at and what’s unfortunately expected, but it was a little too much to overcome tonight.”
In the first baseball game, DNH scored four in the third and five in the fifth to win by the run margin rule. In Game 2, DNH scored three in the fifth. Conner Dancer scored on an errant throw, followed by RBIs by Channing Cutsforth and Gavin Gerbracht. The Falcons got on the board in the seventh on an RBI groundout by Sully Janssen, followed by Benny Waller scoring on a passed ball before the game ended.
Both AP teams will return to action Tuesday at Belle Plaine at 5:30. Dike-New Hartford will play baseball at Clear Lake Tuesday at 7:30, and the softball team will be in action at Wapsie Valley Wednesday.
