Power trip

The ninth-ranked Creston softball team kept its offense rolling in high gear Thursday in an 11-1 home victory over Clarinda in five innings.

Heading into Saturday’s trip to to the Cedar Rapids Jefferson Tournament, the Panthers have outscored opponents 53-3 in four Hawkeye Ten Conference games this week. Creston, now 20-4 overall and 15-1 in the conference, started with a 14-0, 14-1 sweep of Council Bluffs St. Albert on Monday.

On Wednesday the Panthers prevailed 14-1 at Shenandoah. Thursday’s win gives Creston a three-game lead atop the conference standings with four games to go, including a varsity doubleheader Monday at Lewis Central.

“It was a good week for us in the four conference games,” Creston coach Mike McCabe said. “Sometimes it just snowballs and that’s kind of the way it is with us right now. Today we kind of got the bottom of the order going. I know Daile Keeler had a nice night.”

Keeler had three hits batting in the seventh spot in the order for the Panthers. Freshman Jersey Foote, the fleet center fielder batting in the No. 2 spot, had a huge night with a double, a two-run homer over the center field fence, and a single for three RBIs and two runs scored.

“Jersey is going to be a special one, for sure,” McCabe said. “She was more mad that she got turned around on a flyball that she was happy about hitting her (third) home run.”

Morgan Driskell hit a two-run double in the first inning for Creston and added a single later in the game. Gracie Hagle had a two-out hit just in front of Foote’s homer for one of her two RBIs, and Jacy Kralik had an RBI double and scored two runs batting in the eighth spot. Catcher Ava Adamson had two hits and a run scored.

Freshman pitcher Taryn Fredrickson hurled a three-hitter with seven strikeouts and no walks. She collected four of her strikeouts in the first two innings.

“Taryn was working both sides of the plate pretty well,” McCabe said. “She got one strikeout early on her curveball and two on her riseball. Her location was particularly good early in the game.”

The Panthers play Iowa City West at 11:30 a.m. Saturday and Cedar Rapids Jefferson at 1:45 p.m. They have team activities planned Friday on the overnight trip to eastern Iowa.

“Neither of them are ranked, but both are solid 5A teams,” McCabe said. “That’s why we go, to get away and have some fun, and face good competition.”

Earlier in the week

Both Fredrickson and Keely Coen pitched the 14-1 and 14-0 victories over St. Albert on Monday, allowing a total of three hits in the two games. Sophie Hagle, Keeler and Halle Evans homered in the opener. Evans had three hits and Sophie Hagle knocked in three runs. Gracie Hagle and Foote each had doubled and had three RBIs in the nightcap.

Coen struck out six in gaining Wednesday’s win over Shenandoah, 14-1. Sophie Hagle drove in three runs. Foote and Nevaeh Randall each stroked two doubles.