March 28, 2024

Hawks focus on 1A state run

SULLY — Not much has changed in the approach to ballgames for Lynnville-Sully High School’s Hawks this week. According to Hawk head softball coach Stacey Alberts, it’s been busy as usual as her team practices for the 2013 Iowa Class 1A State Softball Tournament.

“At practices, they are still having fun and working hard just like they did throughout the regular season,” Alberts said. “This is a special group of girls who love to play softball and are focused, but they also just enjoy being out there together.”

There could have been an edge on the Hawks’ approach to the first-round state tournament game on Monday. The Hawks face the team, Don Bosco High School, that beat Lynnville-Sully in the 2012 regional championship game. The Dons prevented the Hawks from getting to the state tournament for a third straight year.

“Our girls are excited to be going back to the state tournament and are ready to take on Don Bosco after last year. It should be a very good opening game for us,” Alberts said.

Sixth-ranked Lynnville-Sully (36-5) plays fifth-ranked Don Bosco (32-8) at 11:30 a.m. Monday on Diamond 2 at Harlan and Hazel Rogers Park in Fort Dodge. The winner moves into the semifinals on Thursday.

The loser of Monday’s game drops into the consolation bracket. The consolation bracket  games will all be played on Wednesday to determine fifth through eighth place at the state tournament.

Key for the Hawks against Don Bosco and any team in the state tournament is having good at bats, playing solid defense and having strong pitching, Alberts said. Basically, play like they have all season.

Lynnville-Sully has demonstrated its balance on the field. As a team, the Hawks have a .379 batting average, producing 394 hits and 371 runs. The Hawks have hit 56 doubles, 22 triples and 12 home runs among those 394 hits. They have 62 errors in their 41 games.

In the circle, the Hawks have relied on the arm of sophomore Madison Rasmusson. Rasmusson went 28-4 on the season with a 1.33 earned run average. She rang up 165 strikeouts. Rasmusson issued 31 walks, gave up 114 hits and 54 runs.

Emma Schnell, an eighth-grader, went 8-1 pitching with a 1.53 ERA. She had 54 strikeouts.

Rasmusson also leads the team offense with a .500 batting average followed by sophomore Shelby Davis at .487 and junior Becca Vos at .434. Vos has hammered out five home runs and 17 doubles in the regular season while Davis has delivered 11 triples and two homers.

Vos drove in 46 runs and Davis has 38 RBI. Davis has scored 58 runs and Rasmusson has crossed the plate for 53 runs. Rasmusson is 34 of 38 on stolen base attempts for the Eagles and Davis has 28 stolen bases in 30 attempts.