Panthers trample Knights

The temperatures were hot and so were the bats Wednesday as Creston softball added two more wins to their undefeated conference season.

In the doubleheader against Kuemper Catholic (9-13, 7-5), the Panthers (22-5, 15-0) topped the Knights by 24 runs, ending the night with 20-1 and 7-2 victories.

Despite the sun, Hartman said the weather was nice for the doubleheader.

“The wind was blowing out, so it was a good day to hit and a nice day for the ball to carry,” Hartman said. “We were expecting to swing it and expecting to play well, and we did both.”

In the first game, the Panthers won via mercy rule in the fourth inning, gaining 14 runs at the bottom of the third.

Junior Avery Staver started the night’s run off strong, hitting a home run at second in the lineup. A second home run by senior Jersey Foote with Taryn Fredrickson on base brought in two more runs in the first inning.

The Knights got their one and only run in the top of the second, with a double by sophomore Morgan Masching sending junior Kaylie Wolterman home.

The Panthers scored another three runs in the second inning, Staver earning her second home run of the night to send junior Jaycee Hanson home following freshman courtesy runner Cora Smith scoring for Sidney Staver on a wild pitch. Avery Staver’s 11 home runs this season leads the Hawkeye 10.

The Panthers had a hitting frenzy in the bottom of the third, earning 14 runs and eight hits in 20 at-bats. The game ended soon after, with the Knights unable to score at the top of the fourth.

By the end of game one, the Panthers saw high offensive numbers. Foote finished with four RBIs, and Staver, Foote, Hanson and Smith each had three runs apiece.

While the batters took the spotlight in game one, the win wouldn’t have been complete without pitching and defense. Fredrickson allowed only four hits. She also reached a pitching milestone, throwing her 600th career strikeout.

Coach Dave Hartman said it’s been hard to keep up with Fredrickson’s accomplishments.

“Taryn’s been knocking down milestones left and right,” Hartman said. “Taryn’s been steady all year, and she’s improved every year that I’ve been here. She was already a high-quality pitcher when I arrived; she’s just gotten better and better.”

The second game didn’t see quite as high of a score, though the Panthers still came out solidly on top. In the first inning, the Knights got two on base but struck out before getting a run. The Panthers followed with runs from both Ava Adamson and Staver.

Much of game two followed in this fashion, with the Panthers grabbing five more runs before the Knights scored their first run at the top of the seventh. Senior Kyla Wiskus and freshman Ellee Schreck brought in the only runs of the game, bringing the final score to 7-2.

Adamson led in RBIs and runs, taking three of the team’s five RBIs and two of the seven runs. Other scorers included Avery Staver, Evy Marlin, Mila Kuhns, Sidney Staver and Sasha Wurster.

Kennedy Strider joined Fredrickson in the circle in game two, allowing only five hits between the two of them.

Overall, Hartman said he’s proud of all the work the defense has done, even if they don’t always get their flowers.

“The thing that nobody has been talking about all year is our defense. Defensively, we’ve been pretty solid,” Hartman said. “Our infield defense last year was a concern, and this year Mila’s played tremendous at shortstop and Evy’s improved as a defender.”

Remaining undefeated in conference play, the Panthers play at noon today at Shenandoah before a weekend trip to Cedar Rapids. Thursday’s game against Clarinda was postponed due to weather.