Cardinals win three; Hawks drop two in tourney

OSKALOOSA — Building confidence is a key component for any team, but especially a young team.

Newton High’s Cardinals entered the 2015 season without a senior on its roster. They start eighth-graders, freshmen, sophomores and a couple of juniors.

On Saturday, the Cardinal softball team racked up three victories during play in the Oskaloosa tournament. The Cardinals powered past Class 3A South Hardin, 13-0 in three innings, then scored three runs in the fifth inning to defeat Cardinal of Eldon, 3-0, and finished with a 13-1 win over North Mahaska.

Cardinal and North Mahaska are Class 1A teams, but it doesn’t matter right now. The Cardinals are building confidence, winning their last five games to go to 6-3 on the year.

Lynnville-Sully’s veteran team had a tougher go of it during its round of games at Saturday’s Oskaloosa tournament. The Class 1A eighth-ranked Hawks lost for the first time this season not once but twice.

The Hawks gave up eight runs in the fifth inning to lose 11-1 to Class 3A 15th-ranked Mount Vernon. They dropped a 5-1 decision to Knoxville, a 4A team. Lynnville-Sully is 7-2 on the season.

Newton has a full week ahead with three Little Hawkeye Conference games — two at home and one on the road. The Cardinals host Class 4A third-ranked Dallas Center-Grimes Monday for a 7:30 p.m. varsity contest at Berg Middle School.

Newton goes to Grinnell Wednesday, then returns home for a LHC game against Class 4A second-ranked Oskaloosa. The Cardinals host their varsity tournament Saturday at Agnes Patterson Softball Complex.

Lynnville-Sully gets back into South Iowa Cedar League play Monday against North Mahaska in Sully. On Tuesday, the Hawks host Newton for a varsity doubleheader, starting at 4:30 p.m. then play at BGM Wednesday, at Pella Christian Thursday and at Belle Plaine Friday.

Newton 13, South Hardin 0

Ten players scored a run for the Cardinals in a game, which went three innings. Newton scored seven runs in the first inning and six in the second. The Cardinals took full advantage of nine walks issued to them by South Hardin pitching and a couple of errors.

Peyton Maher led the offense with a single and a double. Sydney Jenkins tripled while Karley Leiker and Bailey Davis each had a single.

Anna Coyle got the pitching win, limiting South Hardin to four hits.

Newton 3, Cardinal 0

Four of Newton’s five hits came in the three-run fifth inning. With one gone, Kari Adams singled and was moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Fran Lucas. Jenkins and Karley Leiker had back-to-back RBI singles and Maher delivered a run on a double.

Maher tossed a two-hit shutout for Newton. She walked two and struck out five. The Cardinals worked out of a two-on-two-out situation in second against Cardinal. In the sixth, Cardinal had two on with one gone, but Maher coaxed two fly balls for outs.

Maher and Newton’s defense retired Cardinal in order in the seventh inning to get the win. Karley Leiker had the other hit, a single, for Newton.

Newton 13, North Mahaska 1

Newton plated eight runs on four walks, two errors, a two-run single by Fran Lucas and a two-run double by Jenkins in the first innings. They added a run in the second when Jaci Twaddle, Lizzy Coyle and Adams connected for base hits with two gone.

Newton scored three runs in the third inning and one more in the fourth.

Jenkins was 3-for-4 with a single, a double and a triple. Twaddle hit two singles and Maher doubled. Lizzy Coyle, Fran Lucas and Victoria Jordan each had a single.

Anna Coyle worked 2 2/3 innings in the circle for Newton. She allowed one run on two hits and one walk and she struck out one. Maher pitched 1 1/3 shutout innings . She struck out three batters.

Mount Vernon 11,

Lynnville-Sully 1

It was a close fought game early between two ranked teams. Mount Vernon was up 3-1 after four innings with single runs in the first, third and fourth innings. Lynnville-Sully scored in the third.

Mount Vernon broke the game wide open with an eight-run fifth inning.

Madison Rasmusson was the losing pitcher for the Hawks, charged with eight hits and three walks. She struck out one.

Kasiah Ehresman connected for two singles. Lizzy VanManen, Lysandra James and Haley James each had a single.

Knoxville 5, Lynnville-Sully 1

Knoxville scored a run in the first and one in the third, then added two in the fourth to take a 4-0 lead. Lynnville-Sully pushed a run across in the sixth, but Knoxville responded with a run in its half of the innings.

Ehresman, Brenna Lanser, Rasmusson and Van Manen each singled. Rasmusson took the pitching loss, allowing six hits, walking two and striking out two.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535
or jsheets@newtondailynews.com