(Clarinda) Two big innings led Atlantic to a 9-4 win over Clarinda in a Hawkeye Ten Conference softball showdown on Wednesday night at Clarinda. The Trojans scored four runs in the fifth, and five in the sixth to secure the 9-4 victory.
Zoey Kirchhoff picked up the win in the circle for the Trojans allowing four runs on six hits, seven strikeouts, three walks, and one hit batter. The Trojans scored nine runs on 12 hits. Lila Wiederstein went 4-4 at the plate including a two run homer in the fifth inning. Dylin Ball, and Claire Schroder drilled a pair of singles, and Zoey Kirchhoff went 1-4 with a three run homer. Jillian Saathoff, Olivia Knuth, and Makenna Schroeder each hit singles.
The Cardinals grabbed a 2-0 lead early in the game. Stevie Wilmes, hit by a pitch, stole second, advanced to third, and eventually home on a pair of throwing errors to put the home team on top 1-0. The Cardinals added to the narrow lead in the bottom of the third on Kaylee Smith’s lead-off single. Annika Price belted a double driving home Smith.
Cardinal pitcher Mallory Woods kept the Trojans at bay early only allowing a scattering of baserunners, however, that string ended in the top of the fifth inning. Schroder, and Saathoff scored following back-to-back singles. Schroeder reached base on an error, and trotted home on Wiederstein’s two run homer, to push the Trojans to a 4-2 lead.
Clarinda answered in the bottom of the sixth inning. Price led off with a single, Janessa Woolsey drew a walk, Mallory Woods laced a single, and Price and Woolsey raced home to tie the game at 4-4.
The Trojans delivered the big blow in the top of the seventh with five runs on five hits. Olivia Knuth sparked the scoring spree with a lead-off single, Schroeder followed with a base hit, Wiederstein singled and drove home a run, Kirchhoff blasted a three run homer pushing her RBI total to 36 on the season, and Ball plated the fifth run of the inning giving the Trojans a 9-4 cushion. Kirchhoff went to work in the bottom of the seventh and retired three Cardinal batters to seal away the 9-4 victory.
Annika Price led the Cardinals at the plate with a single, and an RBI double, Mallory Woods drilled a pair of singles, and two RBI, Maddie Cole, and Kaylee Smith each hit singles.
Atlantic, now 19-10 on the season hosts Red Oak in a doubleheader on Thursday. Clarinda, 17-7, hosts Creston on Thursday.
