INDIAN SOFTBALL TEAM CONTINUES ITS EARLY SEASON SUCCESS; ANAMOSA TOURNAMENT TITLE CONCLUDES UNDEFEATED WEEK

The Waukon Indian softball team continued its early season roll with an undefeated week of six more wins, improving its season record to 10-1. The Indians were successful in opening their home season and Northeast Iowa Conference season with a 1-0 victory over Charles City Tuesday, June 6 and continued that success with a doubleheader sweep of Decorah at home Thursday, June 8, downing the Vikings, 7-2, in game one and coming from behind for a 3-2 triumph in game two.
The Indians then took part in the Anamosa Tournament Saturday, June 10, coming away from the annual event with three more wins and the team title. The Tribe blasted Bennett by a 13-0 final in three innings to open the tourney, manhandled Cascade, 11-1, in five innings in the semi-finals, and topped its title off with a 3-1 win over Midland in the tournament's championship final.
"It's been a great effort by these girls," Waukon first-year softball coach Jim Mauss said of his team's early-season success. "We've played pretty consistent defense and we've been hitting the ball pretty well. And it's not just one or two key players each game, it always seems to be somebody different. I told the girls in practice that it's tough for a team to prepare for us when everyone is contributing at one time or another."
The Indians will take their 10-1 overall and 3-0 NEIC marks into a week full of tough tests. The Tribe will host Oelwein Tuesday, June 13 and then Class 2A fifth-rated MFL/Mar Mac Wednesday, June 14 before playing at Class 2A 17th-rated New Hampton Friday, June 16. The Tribe will then compete in the Dubuque Tournament this Saturday, June 17 before beginning a full week of competition next week. That full week begins with a Monday, June 19 date at Crestwood of Cresco, followed by three consecutive home games against South Winn, June 20, Waverly-Shell Rock, June 21, and North Fayette, June 23. vs. Charles City ...
Defense reigned supreme in the softball Indians' Northeast Iowa Conference and home season opener against Charles City Tuesday, June 6. The Indians battled the other Orange and Black squad from the NEIC to a 1-0 victory in a classic that featured a total of just four hits allowed and just one baserunner advancing past second base.
Fortunately, for the Indians, that one baserunner belonged to them in the person of sophomore center fielder and lead-off hitter Shelby Nordheim. The speedy sophomore opened the Tribe's offensive effort in the bottom half of the initial frame with a lead-off single, was sacrificed to second by junior right fielder Colleen Tierney, and then proceeded to blaze home on a two-out fly ball from junior second baseman Crystal Magner that should have ended the inning, but instead was dropped by the Charles City right fielder, allowing Nordheim to put the Indians on top by a 1-0 tally.
That lead-off single by Nordheim was all that was allowed by Comet hurler Katie Kelly, as she tossed a one-hitter at the Tribe. "We had just the one hit," Waukon softball coach Jim Mauss said. "But, that one hit turned out to be the one we needed. This was a great defensive game by both teams."
With the defensive effort put forth by the Indians in this contest, that one hit and one run went a long way towards securing the win. Indian senior pitcher Kara Rea allowed just three Charles City hits in the contest, getting some outstanding defensive help in the field and coming up with some big defensive plays of her own to keep the Comets well in check.
The Indians turned away the Comets in order in four of the game's seven innings, not allowing any more than four batters to come to the plate for Charles City in any frame. In addition to steady, consistent defense on the routine plays, that staunch defensive stand was also helped along by several timely plays that squashed any and all Comet threats against the minimal Indian advantage.
The first of those rally-stoppers came in the fourth frame when Charles City's Tara Sawyer led off the inning with a single to left and took second on a ground out. With two outs in the books, Comet Abby Frye hit a ground ball toward the right side that Magner chased down from her second base position and fired home just in time to throw Sawyer out at the plate.
The following inning also featured an Indian crowd-pleasing halt of a Comet uprising. Charles City third baseman Libby Eckenrod battled for a one-out walk, but was caught by surprise when Indian senior first baseman Allison Blocker speared a line drive off the bat of Robyn Rouse and turned in time to step on first before Eckenrod could get back to the bag, ending the inning.
Another lead-off single by Abby Leavans to begin the Comet fifth frame also posed a possible threat to the Tribe's 1-0 advantage, but heads-up Indian defense once again rose to the occasion. After Leavans was sacrificed to second, Sawyer ripped a ground ball to Indian third baseman Michelle Valley. The veteran infielder scooped up the ball, and instead of firing to first base to get the out, Valley turned to find Leavans challenging to advance to third base on the play and got her hung up in a run-down situation.
Back and forth between second and third went Leavans and the swarm of Indian defenders trying to halt her progress. Finally, Indian sophomore shortstop Shannon Rumph chased Leavans down on the way back to second, getting the second out of the frame and keeping the possible tying run at first. A line drive snatched out of the air by Rea at pitcher's mound closed out that inning, leaving the Tribe's 1-0 lead intact.
After the Comets' first-inning letdown that allowed the lone run of the ballgame, Charles City didn't allow the Indians much opportunity to add to their slim lead over the remainder of the game. The Indians were allowed just two other baserunners in the final five innings of the contest, neither of them getting past second.
The Indians returned to their steady, consistent defense to thwart the Comets' final opportunity in the top of the seventh frame. Three Charles City batters came to the plate in that frame, and all three were turned away in order, finalizing the 1-0 Indian win.
In limiting Charles City to just three hits, Rea walked one batter and struck out three more. Likewise, Kelly also walked one batter and struck out four Indians in completing her one-hitter. Decorah doubleheader ...
The Indians continued their winning ways against NEIC opponents at home by taking a doubleheader from Decorah Thursday, June 8. The Tribe had a relatively easy time with the Vikings in the twinbill opener, turning the visitors away by a 7-2 final, but the evening's nightcap required a little final inning dramatics in order for the Tribe to come away with a 3-2 comeback win to complete the sweep.
Just like two nights earlier, the Indians wasted little time in establishing a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning of game one. Indian sophomore center fielder Shelby Nordheim again supplied the run, but made her own way around the bases this time. The young veteran blasted a lead-off rocket to the gap in left center field, turning on her wheels to blaze around the basepath circuit.
A fumble of the ball by the Viking center fielder gave Nordhem just enough time to make the final turn around third and head for home. As the ball approached home plate, Nordheim slid in safely, head first, just before the attempted tag to complete what most would term an "inside-the-park" home run and give the Tribe a 1-0 advantage.
Timely Indian defense in the top of the second frame prevented the Vikings from knotting the score at 1-1. Decorah pitcher Jenni Christopher tried to help her own cause with a lead-off single to start the inning, eventually making her way to second base with two out. A single by Viking Ashley Humpal looked to tie the score, as Christopher rounded third and headed for home, but a strong throw from Indian sophomore left fielder Jaime Welch caught Christopher at the plate, senior catcher Cassie Reinke applying the tag that turned the Viking threat away and ended the inning.
The score remained 1-0 until the Indians unloaded a six-hit, four-run frame on their visitors in the bottom of the third. Sophomore shortstop Shannon Rumph started the inning with a lead-off single, but was picked off first by a quick throw from Viking catcher Teri Olson for the first out of the inning.
That unfortunate happening did little to turn the Tribe away, however, as the next four batters also connected for hits, Nordheim, junior right fielder Colleen Tierney and Reinke all popping for singles in order behind Rumph, with Reinke's offering scoring Nordheim for the second time in the ballgame. An ensuing blast for a double up the middle by junior second baseman Crystal Magner scored both Tierney and Reinke, with senior first baseman Allison Blocker adding to the Indian hit parade with a single of her own - the Tribe's sixth hit of the inning - to score Magner and balloon the Indian advantage to 5-0 through three complete frames.
A scoreless fourth frame between the two clubs gave way to a productive fifth inning for both. Decorah opened the inning by taking advantage of three Indian defensive miscues to put its first run of the ballgame on the board, but the Indians answered that run two-fold, taking advantage of a couple Viking errors.
Reinke started the Indian fifth frame off with a lead-off single and was joined on the basepaths by Magner when she reached on one of those Decorah mistakes. Back-to-back miscues by the Viking infield allowed both Reinke and Magner to complete their basepath routes before the inning was ended, that pair of runs improving the Tribe to a 7-1 advantage.
The Vikings came back with another run in the top of the sixth inning, stringing together three singles to make for a 7-2 advantage. The Indians could not manage to add to their lead in the bottom of the sixth, setting the stage for Decorah's final opportunity at the plate. The Indian defense returned to its stellar form in that top of the seventh, however, turning the Vikings away in order to secure the 7-2 victory.
Indian senior pitcher Kara Rea recorded her sixth win of the season, allowing seven Viking hits, walking one batter and striking out three. Decorah's Christopher took the loss, giving up 11 Indian hits, also walking one batter and striking out three. Game two began as a defensive battle, with neither team allowing much through the first three innings of play. Decorah turned away a pair of Indian scoring opportunities with timely defensive plays at third and home plate in the first and second frames, while the Tribe turned Decorah away in order -with the exception of a harmless third-inning error - through the first three frames behind senior pitcher Kara Rea.
Both teams did manage some offensive output in the fourth frame, Decorah striking first with two runs on a Teri Olson lead-off triple and three Indian defensive miscues. Trailing 2-0, the Indians got one of those runs back in the bottom of the fourth frame.
Senior catcher Cassie Reinke started the Indian half of the inning off with her fourth hit of the doubleheader, a one-out double to right field. Junior second baseman Crystal Magner singled Reinke to third, from where senior first baseman Allison Blocker drove her in with a single to right for a 2-1 tally in favor of the visiting Vikings.
The two teams traded scoreless blows in the fifth and sixth frames, leaving the game's outcome up to the final inning of play. The top half of the inning went in the Indians' favor, the Tribe turning away all three batters it faced in order to set up its final comeback opportunity in the bottom half of the frame.
What looked to be a good start for the Tribe, a lead-off line drive by sophomore center fielder Shelby Nordheim, was denied by a spearing of the hot shot by Viking shortstop Lisa Huinker for the first out. Not to be denied, the Indians continued on, junior right fielder Colleen Tierney legging out an infield single before Reinke drilled another deep shot to right for a triple that brought Tierney around to knot the score at 2-2. With just one out and Reinke on third, Magner then stepped to the plate and took a ball and a strike before sending her third pitch into left field for a game-winning single that scored Reinke and completed the Tribe's 3-2 comeback victory.
Indian junior pitcher Vickyann Venes recorded the win on the mound for the Tribe, finishing up for Rea after three innings. Venes allowed four Viking hits, walked one batter and struck out four. Rea left the game after three perfect innings on the mound, striking out two Decorah batters. Kari Nelson suffered the loss for the Vikings, giving up 12 Indian hits, walking no one and striking out just one batter. Anamosa Tournament ...
The Indian softball girls maintained their defensive intensity in winning the Anamosa Tournament Saturday, June 10. The Indians allowed just two runs in three games at the tournament, outscoring their three opponents by a considerable, 27-2 combined margin.
The Tribe made short work of their first two tournament opponents, blanking Bennett, 13-0, in three innings in first-round action, and then took care of Cascade in five innings by an 11-1 final. The Tribe faced its stiffest test in its championship final against Midland, a game in which the Indians eventually secured a 3-1 win for the title.
"Another case of good defense and hitting the ball pretty well," Waukon softball coach Jim Mauss said. "We are still making some baserunning mistakes, so we'll have to work those out. Overall, though, we're playing pretty good softball."
A superb effort on both sides of the ball produced a 13-0 victory in just three innings for the Tribe in game one against Bennett. The Indian pitching tandem of senior Kara Rea and junior Vickyann Venes completely shut the Bennett line-up down, limiting each batter in that line-up to just one at-bat in the contest in pitching a perfect three innings of softball.
Rea struck out the first four of the six batters she faced in two innings on the mound, the other two being retired on a pop fly and ground ball. Venes came on in relief in the third frame to strike out two of the three batters she faced, retiring the third on a ground ball hit back to the mound to end the ballgame.
On the offensive side, the Tribe posted innings of five and seven runs to begin and end the ballgame. A three-run inside-the-park homer by junior second baseman Crystal Magner got the Tribe on the board first in the opening frame. Junior right fielder Colleen Tierney reached on an error to start the inning and was joined on the basepaths by senior catcher Cassie Reinke after she singled to left. Magner then stepped to the plate to hit a deep drive to an outfield gap, sprinting her way around the bases for the round-tripper.
Sophomore designated hitter Jen Evanson and senior first baseman Allison Blocker both reached base on errors to follow Magner. Both also proceeded around those bases by virtue of passed balls to give the Tribe a 5-0 headstart after one-half inning of play.
The second inning was not quite as productive as its predecessor, just one run crossing the plate in that frame. Reinke started the inning off with a lead-off single, stealing second before Blocker drove her in with a single of her own, making for a 6-0 Indian advantage.
The finishing touches were applied in the Tribe's third frame, as seven runs crossed home plate to complete the 13-0 final result. The Indians loaded the bases on free passes before Reinke belted a one-out single to score sophomore shortstop Shannon Rumph. Sophomore center fielder Shelby Nordheim, Tierney and Reinke all proceeded to parade around the basepaths on passed balls to make for a 10-0 count.
Magner then drew a base on balls before scoring on an error in Blocker's at-bat before Blocker was driven in by a two-out double off the bat of sophomore left fielder Jaime Welch. Another pair of passed balls brought Welch around for the final Indian run of the ballgame.
Rea picked up the pitching win for the Indians, striking out four batters, with Venes striking out two batters in one inning of relief. Bennett's Hermiston gave up just six Indian hits, but also walked five batters, hit one and struck out three for the loss. The Tribe benefitted from much of the same in their semi-final bout with Cascade. The Cougars received a first-round forfeit victory when Starmont failed to show for the tournament, but had difficulty handling the two-hit effort thrown at them by Indian senior Kara Rea, falling to the Tribe by an 11-1 final in five innings.
Rea nearly recorded her second consecutive perfect game of the tourney, setting Cascade down in order in each of the first four frames of the contest. That pitching gem fell by the wayside in the bottom of the fifth when the Cougars posted a pair of singles to record their lone run of the ballgame.
That lone run was not quite enough to make the game continue on past five innings, as the Indians used a three-run fifth frame to put themselves up by the necessary 10 runs to get the mercy-rule ending to the ballgame. The first of those 11 runs came in the opening frame.
Sophomore center fielder Shelby Nordheim and junior second baseman Crystal Magner both reached base safely, Nordheim on an error and Magner on a base on balls. Sophomore designated hitter Jen Evanson then blasted a triple to right field to bring both runners home for an early, 2-0 Indian advantage.
Another three runs were tacked on by the Tribe in the second frame. The Indians loaded the bases on a pair of walks issued to Rea and Nordheim on each side of a single by sophomore shortstop Shannon Rumph. An error in Reinke's at-bat allowed Rea to score before a two-out single up the middle by Magner brought both Rumph and Nordheim home to improve the Tribe's standing to 5-0.
Three more walks issued to sophomore left fielder Jaime Welch, Rumph and Nordheim loaded the bases once again for the Indians in the third inning. Welch proceeded to steal home before Reinke ripped a triple to bring both Rumph and Nordheim across the plate for an 8-0 Indian advantage.
A quiet fourth inning for the Indians was followed by the finishing touches in the fifth frame, as three more runs were brought home to end the ballgame early. The Indians loaded the bases yet again in the inning on a one-out single by junior right fielder Colleen Tierney, an error in Magner's at-bat and a hit batsman in Evanson.
An ensuing single by senior first baseman Allison Blocker scored both Tierney and Magner to put the Tribe on the edge of an early win at 10-1, with Evanson pushing the Indians over that edge when she found her way home after back-to-back walks moved her around the basepaths for the game-ending run. That 11-1 Indian lead was enough to put the Tribe up by the necessary 10 runs for the five-inning victory.
In allowing just two hits to Cascade, Rea struck out three batters to secure the win. Cascade's Simon gave up eight Indian hits, struck out two batters, walked nine and hit another in suffering the loss. The softball Indians experienced their first real test of the tournament in the championship game, matching up with Midland and coming away with a hard-fought 3-1 victory. The Midland team had earned its way to the championship finals with victories over Camanche and Anamosa, and proved they were ready to play right away in the first inning.
Back-to-back singles by the Indian lead-off tandem of sophomore center fielder Shelby Nordheim and junior right fielder Colleen Tierney got the Indians off to a good start, but a fielder's choice to retire Tierney and a timely double play that caught Nordheim off third put an abrupt end to that early Indian threat.
Midland followed that defensive stand with a quick run in the bottom of the opening frame, getting a lead-off double and one-out single to take an early, 1-0 advantage.
After being denied a run and then scored upon in that initial frame, the Tribe made its own statement in the top of the second inning, taking the lead with a pair of its own quick runs. A lead-off double by sophomore designated hitter Jen Evanson was followed by a single from senior first baseman Allison Blocker to put two runners on base with no outs.
A Midland error in senior pitcher Kara Rea's at-bat scored Evanson and moved Blocker to third, from where she scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by sophomore shortstop Shannon Rumph to give the Tribe the upperhand at 2-1.
Both teams then settled in to play stingy defense, neither allowing the other much more than a harmless baserunner or two through the fifth inning. The Indians finally broke that trend in the sixth frame, tacking another run on to their total when junior second baseman Crystal Magner reached safely on a fielder's choice and was driven in by a single to right field by Evanson.
That run improved the Indians to a 3-1 lead, an advantage they would never look back from. The final two Midland opportunities at the plate in the sixth and seventh frames each resulted in a single baserunner reaching on an Indian defensive miscue. Those baserunners were held to first base in both frames, however, as Indian defense regained its composure to help seal the 3-1 win and the Tribe's tournament championship.
Rea was taken for seven hits by Midland in recording the pitching win, striking out four batters and walking none. Midland's Hansen allowed six Indian hits through six innings, walking no one and striking out no one in the loss on the mound. Woodward came on in relief in the seventh frame, retiring the Tribe in order.