(Fort Dodge) Atlantic defeated two ranked teams and lost by one run to another at the Fort Dodge Softball Tournament.
Class 4A #1 Winterset defeated Atlantic 2-1 on Friday. However, the Trojans responded with a 12-0 win over Harlan in the nightcap. On Saturday, Atlantic defeated Class 5A #13 Ankeny 8-4 and topped Class 4A #8 Ballard, 5-0.
“We played really well in all facets of the game,” said Atlantic Head Coach Terry Hinzmann. “We showed patience at the plate, and all of our hitters did a good job of putting the ball in play.”
The successful weekend came on the heels of the Trojan’s first conference loss to Denison-Schleswig on Thursday night. “We were disappointed on Thursday night when we had runners in scoring position and couldn’t drive them home. However, in the four games at Fort Dodge, we were able to do that.”
Coach Hinzmann complimented both pitchers, Kennedy Goergen and Olivia Engler, for a job well done in the circle over the weekend. “Olivia did an outstanding job against a Winterset team hitting close to .400,” said Hinzmann. “She kept the hitters off-balance until the 7th inning when they strung some hits together and scored two runs. She also picked up her 500th career strikeout during the Ballard game as well, which is a testament to all the hard work she’s put in.”
Hinzmann says Kennedy Goergen took care of Harlan, 12-0. “We know Harlan can hit the ball, and Kennedy allowed just ten batters to step to the plate in that win,” said Hinzman. “She also started against Ankeny. We let her go two times through the batting order and allowed two runs on three hits against 18 batters in three innings. We’re pleased with how well our pitchers performed.”
Coach Hinzmann says the team made some great plays defensively. “Lauren Nicolas made some outstanding plays in clutch situations at second base, tracking down hits toward the hole as well as some bloopers behind first base,” noted Hinzmann. “When you put all those things together, it’s not surprising we played as well as we did.”
Offensively, Jada Jensen belted a home run in the first inning against Winterset. The 1-0 lead held up all the way to the 7th inning. The Trojans strung multiple hits up and down the lineup against Harlan. The big hit came with one out in the third inning when Alyssa Derby laced a two-run homer to give the Trojans a 12-0 win in a walk-off fashion.
Against Ankeny, Derby continued to swing a “hot bat” with two singles and two RBI. Engler stroked a double and a single, and two RBI. Ava Rush had a huge two-RBI triple in the second inning that gave Atlantic a good lead and drilled a single in the fifth inning.
In the Ballard game, Engler launched a two-run homer in the first inning driving home Madison Botos, who singled to lead off the inning. Kennedy Goergen and Derby each smacked two RBI doubles.
“When we had runners on base, we were able to move them around and get them across the plate,” said Hinzmann.
The Trojans extended their record to 21-5 on the season and held a one-game lead over Harlan in the Hawkeye Ten Conference. The Trojans are 10-1; the Cyclones are 9-2—the two rivals face-off on June 24 at Atlantic. The Trojans won the first game 11-7 in extra innings at Harlan and posted a 12-0 tournament over the weekend.
Atlantic host Glenwood in a doubleheader at Atlantic on Monday and play Kuemper on Tuesday.
