(Griswold, IA) – Griswold softball was able to advance forward into postseason play after last Friday’s 8-0 shutout victory against Fremont Mills. Some highlights of the game were that the Tigers allowed no errors on the ballfield, made 30 plays on the field, the team hit .469 at the plate, and advanced into the state qualifier. Griswold is playing some of their best softball and Head Coach Jody Rossell is proud of the energy that these girls bring to the field in every ballgame.
One of Griswold’s top successes this season comes from baserunning. They are already successful at the plate with a team .333 batting average, a .436 on-base percentage, and 205 RBIs that have come off some key hits and heads-up baserunning. The team has a total of 137 stolen bases on the season which ties for sixth in Class 1A and it shows from the heads-up plays made on the basepath.
Griswold’s defense is one of the key points to their success. Both pitching and fielding work hand-in-hand with one another with a .925 fielding percentage and an overall team ERA of 0.98. It is led by top fielders Dakota Reynolds, Abby Gohlinghorst, and catcher Whitney Pennock who all led the team in fielding percentage. The circle has been led by Karly Millikan who has a 0.96 ERA with 212 strikeouts and has allowed just 20 earned runs in 30 games.
The foundation of Griswold’s success comes from the team themselves. Coach Rossell has laid out the foundation, and the girls have built up a stronghold of success both on and off the field.
In tonight’s Class 1A Region 4 championship ballgame, Griswold has a chance to avenge themselves from last year’s regional championship loss when they fell to Wayne 5-4. They’ll be taking on Martensdale-St Marys which was ranked as the top team in Class 1A by the IGHSAU. They match up with Griswold in just about every way from pitching to hitting as the Tigers and the Blue Devils match evenly in seven different categories. This will be the game of the night in southwest Iowa.
Griswold takes on Martensdale-St Marys tonight on the road, with the opening pitch at 7:00 p.m. KSOM 96.5 will have the broadcast of this game with a pregame show starting at 6:40 p.m.
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