Bearcats sweep home-opener
JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
Northwest softball coach Ryan Anderson, who picked up his 200th win at Northwest Wednesday, high fives sophomore third baseman Chantel Adams after she hit a two-out triple in the bottom of the sixth inning. Adams was stranded there, but the Bearcats won 2-1 on a walkoff squeeze bunt in the eighth inning, sweeping Wednesday’s double-header with Upper Iowa.
The Northwest softball team continued a season-long trend during Wednesday’s home-opening double-header against Upper Iowa, scoring in the first inning in both games — the eighth and ninth times the Bearcats have struck in the opening frame this season.
“We have that aggressive mentality that ‘If they’re going to strikes, we’re going to hit the ball,’” Northwest head coach Ryan Anderson said. “We’ve tried to get that in their heads that that’s what we want to do if they’re going to throw strikes. It seems like lately, it’s kind of trickled off in the second, third, fourth after we do score in the first and now it’s ‘OK, we can settle down,’ and that’s what we’ve gotta break out of. We’ve got to keep attacking every inning.”
Turns out, they needed those early runs both games.
In game one, Northwest took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first as sophomore second baseman Torri Blythe led off and reached on an error and came around to score on a single to center field by freshman shortstop Rebecca Maher. Two batters later, sophomore third baseman Chantel Adams drove in Maher.
The Bearcats added four more singles over the course of the next five innings — never threatening Peacocks starter Brooke Redmond again.
“Our five hits, really, they were all dribblers or bloopers. We didn’t hit the ball hard at all,” Anderson said. “We hard two hard flyouts, but we just did not get on the ball today. We got lucky we scored two that first inning … but we’ve got to swing the bats.”
However, Northwest junior starter Sarah Baldwin’s outing was just a little better. Baldwin gave up just four hits — three singles and a seventh inning solo home run by Taylor Bjork. Baldwin (4-2) also struck out seven in her third complete game of the year.
The Peacocks struck first in game two, plating a run in the top of the first inning against Northwest junior starter Kendle Schieber, a Jefferson product.
Erica Kirgan drove in Whitney Williams, who led off the game with a double, with a two-out single.
With two outs in the bottom half of the opening frame, Northwest answered. Senior first baseman Stephanie Mark, who was named the National Player of the Week Wednesday for her 12-of-16 performance that included four homers and 12 RBI over the weekend, doubled to center. Adams followed suit with a double of her own down the left field line to level the score.
Schieber settled in after that, going 1-2-3 in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to keep the Peacocks from jumping back out in front.
“The pitchers threw well overall, so from that side of it, we’re happy,” Anderson said. “We’re happy with the fact that when our bats weren’t there, especially the top of the lineup — who’s been tearing it up — weren’t hitting, we were still in the game.”
After Riley Kruel — Upper Iowa’s No. 8 hitter — was placed on second base in accordance with the “international tiebreaker” rule, Schieber again set the Peacocks down in order. She struck out seven and only allowed five hits in earning her second complete game, and second victory, of the season.
Schieber, Northwest’s eight-hole batter, was placed on second base to open the bottom half of the inning and sophomore left fielder Cassidy Lee bunted her over to third base, but beat the throw at first.
With the winning run 60-feet away, Anderson elected for a little small ball with his slap-hitting leadoff hitter, Blythe, at the plate and called for the squeeze bunt.
“Cass had a great bunt to move Kendle to third and then she beat it out to not get thrown out, so now they’re in a little tougher situation where they still have to protect home, but Torri put it enough up the middle,” Anderson said.
Schieber beat the throw home and the Bearcats walked off with their second 2-1 win of the day, one that evened their record at 6-6 heading back into conference play this weekend. The win was also the 200th of Anderson’s career — second in program history — since taking the helm in 2007.
“I think this is the second and third game all year that we’ve been the home team on the scoreboard,” Anderson said. “We’ve just been the visitor each time and we’ve lost three games on walkoffs. We’ve had the lead in two of those games in the seventh inning. It’s nice to be on the other side of that.”
Northwest (6-6, 2-2 MIAA) hosts Southwest Baptist (6-11, 1-5 MIAA) in a conference double-header beginning at 1 p.m. Friday at Bearcat Field.
JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
Northwest junior Kendle Schieber, who started the game in the circle and picked up a complete-game victory, beats the tag from Upper Iowa’s Shelby Crist to score the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning of game two of Wednesday’s double-header. Northwest also won game one 2-1.
JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
Northwest freshman shortstop Rebecca Maher takes a cut at a pitch during the Bearcats’ 2-1 win in game two of Wednesday double-header against Upper Iowa. Northwest swept the double-header with a pair of 2-1 victories to get back to .500 on the year.
JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
Northwest junior Kendle Schieber winds up to fire a pitch toward the plate in Northwest’s eight-inning 2-1 win over Upper Iowa Wednesday. Schieber allowed five hits while striking out seven in her complete-game victory, her second win of the season.
