Tigerhawks stun Saydel with six-inning rally

COLFAX — For five innings, the Colfax-Mingo softball team had just one hit against Saydel senior starting pitcher Annika Hofbauer.

In the sixth inning, the first six batters reached base and scored as the Tigerhawks rallied for a 7-4 home victory Thursday during Heart of Iowa Conference play.

After the game, Colfax-Mingo coach Bryan Poulter said the reason for the turnaround came because his Tigerhawk hitters saw Hofbauer’s pitches better a third time through the lineup.

“They stayed away from pitcher’s pitches and went after their pitches. It’s one of those deals that coming around the third time helped and having the top of the order up certainly played a factor,” Poulter said. “The window was open in the sixth inning and we put some things together. It has been awhile since that has happened.”

The triumph snapped a four-game losing streak for the Tigerhawks.

“We beat a good team tonight,” Poulter said. “We needed some confidence. It’s good to start the season strong. And they have to realize that we’re playing in a 1A regional and I am not so sure we’ll see a better team than that.”

Before the six-run breakout, Rhiannon Haley’s homer with one out in the first was the Tigerhawks’ only hit through five innings against Hofbauer. She struck out the side in the first and then retired the Tigerhawks in order in the third, fourth and fifth.

But Colfax-Mingo had an answer in the sixth. Beginning with lead-off hitter Ries Wilson, the hosts rolled off four straight hits to tie the game at 4-all. The fourth hit was a two-run single by Amy Russell.

Erin Earles and Brooke Nicholson both reached on fielder’s choice grounders. Both scored on the same throwing error that was tossed into left field.

“We put some pressure on them and they helped us out a little bit,” Poulter said.

Wilson started and earned the win in the circle. She walked the first two batters she faced in the third and both scored to give Saydel a 2-1 lead. Eagle sophomore Lyndsay Bianchi crushed a solo home run to left in the fifth to push the advantage to 3-1.

But Wilson, who was hit in the elbow running the bases during the Tigerhawks’ six-run sixth inning but stayed in the game, did enough in the circle to give her team a chance. She surrendered a fourth run in the seventh when Liz Miklus tripled and then scored on a Bianchi sacrifice fly to Nicholson in right field.

Haley had two hits, scored twice and drove in one with her second home run of the season to lead the Tigerhawks (5-17 overall and 3-8 in HOIC) at the plate. No one else had more than one hit but Russell drove in two and Alivia Haley singled and was hit by a pitch.

“It didn’t feel like a homer. I was really surprised when I saw it went over,” Rhiannon Haley said. “We needed a win like this. This is something that will give us motivation moving forward.”

Bianchi had two hits and three RBIs for Saydel, who dropped to 6-5 in HOIC play.

Poulter was unsure if Wilson’s elbow injury was going to keep her out of this weekend’s tournament at Marshalltown. Russell will not be able to pitch until next week due to a shoulder injury.

If Wilson cannot pitch in Colfax-Mingo’s two games Friday and two games Saturday in the Bobcat Classic, eighth-grader Colbee Cunnningham will get plenty of innings in the circle.

“She said she’ll be fine,” Poulter said of Wilson. “She’ll ice it tonight and we’ll see what happens.”

The Tigerhawks play Marshalltown at 1:30 p.m. Friday. They’ll challenge Class 2A No. 8 at 5 p.m. Saturday, Colfax-Mingo faces Bondurant-Farrar at 11:45 a.m. and then plays Marion at 1:30 p.m.