SOFTBALL: Wolverines look to ‘get tougher’ as stretch run of season arrives

Other than a regional rivalry game with West Central Valley in the mix, the Nodaway Valley/OM softball squad stayed mainly within conference play last week, facing three games in all.

While the result was three losses last week, the Wolverines play four games this week, with three of them on the road.

The results this week sent the Wolverines’ record to 3-8 overall and 3-6 in the Pride of Iowa Conference. They were by themselves in sixth place in the POI entering this week.

The Wolverines’ home tournament was canceled Saturday due to hot temperatures and teams backing out of the event.

“We have to get tougher. It was a mentally tough week. We had weather issues for the first time this year and I think that the scores don’t indicate how well we are capable of playing,” NV/OM co-head coach Ryan Zenor said. “We are not a 3-8 team, I really believe that. We have been hitting the ball hard, but lately it seems that we have hit the ball right to someone. We have to get back to playing ball. The season is a grind and we have to find a way. We have to trust the process.”

The week began with a 9-6 home loss to Mount Ayr. Despite having runners in scoring position in the first inning, neither team scored. Mount Ayr scored first, in the top of the second, but the Wolverines answered with three runs in the bottom of the second. Big hits in the inning were RBIs from Carter Osborne, Caroline Britten and Mattie Thompson.

The Wolverines got a solo homer from Emma Boswell in the third.

The Raiderettes had a four-run fifth inning to take a 6-4 lead. Boswell hit another solo homer in the fifth to cut the lead to 6-5, but Mount Ayr came back by getting a two-run sixth and a single run in the seventh. NV/OM scored a single run in the seventh, but that was all the Wolverines could get.

Ella Boswell took the loss after working seven innings. She struck out eight, walked six and gave up nine runs on four hits.

The second game of the week was with West Central Valley. NV/OM scored the first run of the game in the top of the first inning. Thompson led off the game with a single and advanced to second on a ground out by Laughery. Emma Boswell walked and Thompson swiped third on a steal. Thompson scored on a passed ball for the first run. The lead held until the bottom of the fourth when the Wildcats plated three runs to take a 3-1 lead.

In the top of the fourth, the Wolverines scored again afte Britten led off the inning with a single. Emma Boswell then got a two-out double to score Britten to set the score at 3-2. That would be as close as the Wolverines could get, however, as the Wildcats exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the inning to end the game by the eight-run mercy run rule, 10-2.

NV/OM had five hits in the game from five different players. Emma Boswell had a double and RBI and reached base via a walk. Other hits were from Thompson, Rardin, Addi Glade and Britten. Laughery reached base on a walk in the game and Thompson had a stolen base. Ella Boswell took the loss after working 4 1/3 innings. She struck out one, walked two and gave up six runs toward 10 runs.

The week ended with a tough loss in Orient to Lenox, 21-3 in five innings. The Tigers batted around in the top of the first inning, scoring four runs for an early lead. Big hits in the inning were an RBI single by Reese Reed and a two-run single by Ashlynn Allee.

Nodaway Valley/OM responded with two runs. Thompson led off with a walk and promptly stole second base. She scored on a one-out single by Emma Boswell. Stonebraker reached on an error, moving Boswell along, and Boswell scored on the next play to set the score at 4-2.

The Wolverines’ last run came in the bottom of the third on a RBI single by Stonebraker, scoring Emma Boswell, who reached base on a two-out walk. The run would pull NV/OM to within 4-3. The Wolverines had only two other baserunners reach base in the final innings of the game.

Lenox took control of the game in the top of the fourth, batting around in their order, scoring five runs. The game got out of hand in the top of the fifth when the Tigers sent 15 batters to the plate and scored 11 runs.

The Wolverines had just two hits in the game, an RBI double by Stonebraker and an RBI single by Emma Boswell. Boswell, Thompson and Addison Brewer each reached base on walks in the game. Boswell scored twice and Thompson once in the game. Ella Boswell and Destiny Fry pitched in the game. The duo combined to strike out three, walk seven and face 27 Tiger batters.

Osborne was honored in Orient as it was senior night for the Wolverines.