INDIAN SOFTBALL TEAM KEEPS NEIC RECORD CLEAN, WINS THREE OF FOUR GAMES THIS WEEK

The Waukon Indian softball team remained perfect in Northeast Iowa Conference action, but did get tripped up this week in winning three of four games. The Tribe claimed two more NEIC wins, 1-0 Monday, June 19 at Crestwood and 5-3 at home over Class 3A eighth-rated Waverly-Shell Rock Wednesday, June 21.
In between those two wins, the Tribe registered a 16-5 victory in six innings over South Winn at home Tuesday, June 10, but the Indians' other non-conference affair this past week resulted in a 3-1 loss in eight innings, that coming at home Friday, June 23 to North Fayette. The Benton Tournament the Indians were scheduled to participate in Saturday, June 24 was claimed by rain.
The end result of the week's competition leaves the Tribe with a mark of 16-3 overall, and a yet unblemished, 6-0 record against Northeast Iowa Conference opponents.
The Indians will put their undefeated conference record to the test this week with a full slate of Northeast Iowa Conference competition. The Tribe will first make up a rained-out June 13 home date with Oelwein Monday, June 26 before traveling to Charles City Tuesday, June 27. The Indians will then play a varsity doubleheader at Decorah Wednesday, June 28 before playing host to Crestwood Thursday, June 29 and New Hampton Friday, June 30.
The schedule will then lighten, somewhat, for the Indians next week, beginning with a Monday, July 3 home date with Starmont. The Tribe will then play at Waverly-Shell Rock Wednesday, July 5 before playing in a Friday, July 7 match-up with Kee High at New Albin.

at Crestwood ...
The Indian softball girls managed just a single run in their Monday, June 19 Northeast Iowa Conference date at Crestwood of Cresco, but that single run was enough to keep the Tribe diamond dwellers' perfect NEIC record intact for yet another game with a 1-0 victory. Being limited to just six hits and that lone run, the Indians had to counter with their own staunch defensive stand, doing so with a no-hitter tossed by senior pitcher Kara Rea.
"We didn't hit the ball very well," Waukon softball coach Jim Mauss said. "Luckily, Kara tossed a no-hitter and we didn't let Cresco do anything on offense either."
Although staunch, the Indian defensive effort was not flawless. The two baserunners Crestwood was allowed in the ballgame both came on Indian errors, one in the opening frame and the other in the final inning. Both baserunners, however, were left stranded on the initial base they reached.
Even though the Indians were limited to just six hits, they did manage at least one baserunner in each of the game's seven innings, also taking advantage of four walks and a Crestwood defensive miscue. It took a combination of all that to post the lone run of the ballgame on the Indian side of the scoreboard.
With two out in the top of the third frame, senior catcher Cassie Reinke and junior second baseman Crystal Magner belted out back-to-back singles. Both then proceeded to steal their next base before sophomore left fielder Jaime Welch battled for a base on balls to load the bases. A passed ball in senior first baseman Allison Blocker's at-bat brought Reinke sliding home for that one run, giving the Tribe it's 1-0 advantage that would stand at game's end.
In tossing her second complete-game no-hitter of the season, Rea set six Crestwood batters down on strikes. Crestwood hurler Kelly Kalvelage suffered the loss on the mound, giving up six Indian hits, walking four batters and striking out four more.

vs. South Winn ...
It was a complete team effort for the softball Indians in their 16-5, six-inning win over South Winn at home Tuesday, June 20, and it took the efforts of the complete team to get that win in six innings. After posting a 12-2 lead over South Winn through three complete frames, nearly the complete Indian starting line-up was replaced by reserves in the fifth frame.
Those reserves proceeded to hand back some of that 10-run advantage in the top of the fifth, but then turned around and earned that advantage, and more, right back in the next frame, finishing off the visiting Warriors by the 10-run mercy rule in the bottom of the sixth.
"We did a much better job of hitting the ball in this game," Waukon softball coach Jim Mauss said. "Seventeen hits is a lot, and we got some big ones from our younger girls, so that was good to see."
A five-run first inning got the Indians halfway to a 10-run advantage right away in the contest. Sophomore center fielder Shelby Nordheim lit the Tribe's offense with a lead-off single, with senior catcher Cassie Reinke joining Nordheim on the basepaths after reaching on a one-out error. Junior second baseman Crystal Magner then pounded out a triple to the gap in right center, scoring both Nordheim and Reinke before finding her own way home on a passed ball for a 3-0 Indian lead.
A pair of South Winn errors on each side of a base on balls put sophomore left fielder Jaime Welch on base and brought her around to add to the Indian total, senior first baseman Allison Blocker drawing the walk and senior third baseman Michelle Valley reaching safely on that second error that scored Welch. Back-to-back walks with two outs were then drawn by sophomore shortstop Shannon Rumph and Nordheim, Blocker finding her way home on Nordheim's walk for a 5-0 Indian lead after one complete inning.
The Indian lead improved to 8-0 with three more runs on four hits in the second frame. Reinke, Magner and Welch led the inning off with three consecutive safeties, Reinke scoring on Welch's single. A ground out by Blocker then scored Magner from third before sophomore designated hitter Megan Cahoon drilled a two-out single to score Welch and improve the Tribe's standing to that 8-0 margin.
South Winn finally broke its scoring drought in the third frame, getting a pair of runs on two walks, a single and an Indian error. The Indians countered, however, with four runs of their own to build their advantage to 10 runs, 12-2.
Another lead-off single by Nordheim was followed by a walk issued to junior right fielder Colleen Tierney. Reinke then also blasted her second single of the game, scoring both Nordheim and Tierney. A play at the plate on Welch's one-out fielder's choice put Reinke in the books as the Tribe's second out before Blocker drew a base on balls to join Welch. Back-to-back run-scoring singles from Valley and senior pitcher Kara Rea then pushed the Indian advantage to 12-2, Welch scoring on Valley's hit and Blocker being driven in by Rea.
The two teams exchanged scoreless fourth innings before the Indians replaced all but one starter from their line-up with reserves. A pair of Indian errors coupled with a pair of South Winn singles brought three runs home in the top of that fifth frame, keeping the Warriors alive for at least one more inning, as they dodged the 10-run rule by cutting the Indian advantage to 12-5.
The Indian reserves got one of those runs back in the bottom of that fifth frame. Freshman left fielder Amy Nordheim drew a one-out walk, and was sacrificed to second by junior first baseman Crystal Franks before freshman third baseman Sarah Snitker hammered out a single to right to score Nordheim.
The Indian reserves then settled in for the sixth frame, starting it off with a staunch defensive stand that set South Winn down in order. The retiring of the Tribe's first two batters in the bottom of the sixth made it look as if a seven-inning game was inevitable, but the young Indians had other ideas.
Four consecutive singles followed those initial two outs, with three Indian runs scoring to improve the Tribe's advantage to 16-5 and end the game by 10-run rule. Sophomore catcher Sarah Brink started the final barrage off with a rip to left field, and her example was followed by sophomore second baseman Melissa Kleinow and Amy Nordheim, Brink scoring on Nordheim's single.
With both Kleinow and Amy Nordheim still on base, and the Tribe on the brink of a 10-run rule win with a 14-5 lead, Franks then stepped to the plate and completed the Indian hit parade, lacing a single to left to score both Kleinow and Nordheim and finish off the 16-5 Indian win.
Rea picked up win number 80 of her varsity pitching career, giving up three hits, walking two batters and striking out three in four innings on the mound. Junior Vickyann Venes came on in relief in the fifth and sixth innings, allowing two hits and walking one batter. South Winn's Terra Wenthold suffered the loss on the mound, giving up 10 Indian hits, walking five batters and striking out one before being replaced after pitching three innings.

vs. Waverly-SR ...
Northeast Iowa Conference supremacy was on the line Wednesday, June 21 when the Indian softball girls played host to Class 3A eighth-rated Waverly-Shell Rock, and it was up to the softball Indians whether they wanted to share it with their Go-Hawk guests or claim sole possession of it. The Indians entered the game with a number-six ranking in Class 2A and an undefeated mark of 5-0 against Northeast Iowa Conference opponents, while Waverly-Shell Rock sported just a single NEIC loss to Decorah.
The visiting Go-Hawks took a quick, two-run stand against the Tribe's perfect NEIC record, getting some help from the Indian defense. A multitude of Indian defensive miscues allowed Waverly shortstop Kristi Prostine and catcher Amy Kueker to both reach safely and advance all the way around the basepaths for an early 2-0 Go-Hawk lead.
"That's not the kind of start we had in mind," Waukon softball coach Jim Mauss said. "We gave them those first two runs, and when we were retired in order right after that, I thought we might be in trouble. The girls did a nice job of staying with the game plan and battling back for the lead."
The Indians were retired in order in the bottom half of the first, but, after returning that favor to the Go-Hawks in the top of the second inning, managed to get themselves on the board with a run in the bottom half of the frame. Junior second baseman Crystal Magner started the Indian half of the frame by reaching safely on a Waverly error and was followed by a sacrifice bunt attempt by sophomore left fielder Jaime Welch.
In covering the bunt, the Waverly defense left third base uncovered. Coach Mauss made sure a wheeling Magner knew all about that Go-Hawk defensive lapse, motioning her around second toward third base. The throw from the Go-Hawk second baseman after retiring Welch at first also found no Go-Hawks in sight, the ball bouncing into left field to allow Magner to blaze home for the Tribe's first run of the ballgame.
Another three-up, three-down defensive stand by the Tribe in the top of the third was followed by a decisive, four-run bottom half of the inning, the Indians taking advantage of some help from Waverly's defense. A lead-off walk issued to sophomore designated hitter Megan Cahoon was followed by a fielder's choice in sophomore shortstop Shannon Rumph's at-bat that resulted in both Indian baserunners being safe.
A Go-Hawk error in sophomore center fielder Shelby Nordheim's at-bat loaded the bases with Indians before a passed ball brought Cahoon home to knot the score at 2-2. Another fielder's choice in junior right fielder Colleen Tierney's at-bat loaded the bases once again for the Tribe before Reinke made room for herself on the basepaths by driving in Rumph from third with a single, giving the Indians their first lead of the ballgame at 3-2.
Nordheim was run down between third and home on that play, leaving two runners on for Magner with just one out in the books. The Indian junior did not disappoint, ripping a deep shot to right center field to score both Tierney and Reinke and improve the Tribe's lead to 5-2 before the inning was ended.
Waverly was able to gain back one of those runs in the top of the fourth inning, getting a lead-off double from Kueker and a run-scoring single from center fielder Emily Buss. From there, the two teams settled in to play preventative defense, neither one allowing the other to score again in the ballgame.
The Tribe was allowed just one hit and baserunner in the game's final three frames, Tierney belting a fifth-inning single and being left on that bag. The Go-Hawks were limited to just a pair of singles in those final three frames, posing their biggest threat to the Indian lead in the top of the seventh when Buss belted a lead-off single.
After an out was recorded on a fly ball, Buss proceeded to steal second, and took off for third when the throw to second escaped into center field. Nordheim scooped up the runaway ball and fired it to third, just in time for Indian senior third baseman Michelle Valley to apply the tag and put an end to that Buss ride and the Go-Hawk threat. The next Waverly batter was then retired on a ground ball to end the ballgame, the Indians claiming the 5-3 win and the outright lead in the Northeast Iowa Conference standings.
Rea limited Waverly to just four hits in securing the win, striking out five Go-Hawks and hitting one batter. Waverly's Tarah Mulder suffered the pitching loss, allowing two Indian hits, striking out one and walking one in the game's first two and one-third innings. Jess Groth came on in relief for the final three and two-thirds, giving up just one Indian hit and striking out one batter.

vs. North Fayette ...
The North Fayette Hawks proved to be a bump in the road for the softball Indians at home, handing the Tribe a 3-1 loss in eight innings of play Friday, June 23. In a defensive duel, the two teams exchanged a single run during the initial seven innings of regulation, with North Fayette striking in a big way in the top of the eighth to take the lead, and eventually, the game.
The Indians were able to strike first in the contest, getting back-to-back singles from sophomore center fielder Shelby Nordheim and junior right fielder Colleen Tierney to start off the bottom of the first inning. A ground out by senior catcher Cassie Reinke brought Nordheim around to score, giving the Tribe the early lead at 1-0.
The two teams then settled in to exchange scoreless second and third innings, the Indians retiring North Fayette in order in each of the first three frames of play. A dropped infield fly and timely two-out double brought that trend to a halt, however, as the visiting Hawks took advantage of that Indian miscue to get themselves on the board and knot the score at 1-1.
Both teams did what they could to try and untie that knot, each managing a pair of singles in the final three innings, but being unable to capitalize on the earned baserunners. A lead-off single by Tierney in the bottom of the sixth inning looked to be the Tribe's greatest opportunity to break the tie, but three consecutive outs turned that possibility away. Again in the seventh, the Tribe got a two-out single from sophomore designated hitter Megan Cahoon, but could not advance her any further than first base, sending the game into extra innings.
In the top half of the initial extra frame, the Indians seemed to have North Fayette pinned down with two outs. Three consecutive singles, however, brought two North Fayette runs across the plate, giving the Hawks their only lead of the game at 3-1.
The Indian half of the eighth got off to a good start, as Nordheim batted her second single of the ballgame to lead the inning off. She proceeded to steal second and was sacrificed to third, but three consecutive Indian outs left her stranded on third and left the Tribe on the short end of the 3-1 final result.
Senior pitcher Kara Rea suffered the loss for the Tribe, giving up five North Fayette hits, walking no one and striking out seven Hawk batters. Her North Fayette counterpart, Stacy Monroe, also limited her opponent to just five hits, walking one batter, hitting another and striking out just one Indian for the win.