The Aplington-Parkersburg softball team used an eight-run fourth inning to pull away and defeat Denver 11-3 at home Wednesday.
Entering the third inning down 2-0, the Falcons got on the board when Ada Switzer hit a double to send Eva Walker home. In the fourth, Aubrey Williamson doubled to drive in the second run, and later scored on a passed ball to take a 3-2 lead. Walker hit a single to drive in a run, followed by Sophia Junker sprinting home on an infield throw. Jordan Trueblood hit an RBI single for a 6-2 lead. The final runs of the inning came on a three-run homer to left by Avery Freund to give the Falcons a 9-2 lead. In the sixth, Trueblood hit a two-run homer to increase the lead to 11-3, ending the scoring.
Freund on putting together consistent scoring with hot bats.
“It just felt really good to finally see our offense get the good hits we’ve been waiting for and to see our defense back that up by keeping us there and keeping the other team at bay,” Freund says. “As soon as the first person gets that good hit, everyone kind of gets more confidence, we’re all cheering and it’s loud and the crowd gets into it and it just really helps our confidence, which makes us hit more and consistently throughout our lineup.”
Head Coach Emily Williamson says the team is finding its identity.
“Just huge steps of confidence,” Williamson says. “As I told them, we didn’t play error free. We had errors, but they didn’t let that define our game. They recovered well and played every ball and every pitch. They’re just building the culture of being a hitting team. Every person in the lineup, every person has the ability to get up there and just smack the ball. And they’re believing it and they’re showing it.”
Walker and Williamson each had three hits. Trueblood and Freund each had three RBIs. The team racked up 13 hits and a season-high run total. Williamson pitched the complete game with no strikeouts, two walks and 10 hits. AP (5-8, 3-5 NICL-C) will return to action Thursday at Waterloo Columbus at 6:00 p.m.
Emily Williamson interview:
Avery Freund interview:
The Falcon baseball team (9-4, 5-3 NICL-C) will also be at Columbus Thursday. They’ve won two straight, including Tuesday’s 8-5 win over Belle Plaine, where Cooper Hoff and Preston Janssen each had two hits and combined to drive in three of the six RBIs.
Columbus (8-8, 5-1 NICL) will look to remain atop the Central standings. The game will start at 5:30 p.m.
