June 29, 2024

SOFTBALL: Nodaway Valley hitting its stride late in regular season

By Ryan Stonebraker
Nodaway Valley's Chloe Rardin (6) gets a high five from a teammate during a recent softball game against Orient-Macksburg.

Nodaway Valley's Chloe Rardin (6) gets a high five from a teammate during a recent softball game against Orient-Macksburg. (Dan Dickinson)

The regular season is nearing an end for area softball teams, and Nodaway Valley continued this week to inch closer to the 10-win mark that has eluded the program in recent seasons.

Two more wins this week moved the Wolverines to 7-9 and three games remained before postseason play.

The two wins were both Pride of Iowa Conference victories, and it set the Wolverines’ league record at 5-5 on the year. Two of games the team has remaining are against ranked opponents.

Thursday, Class 1A No. 2 Wayne visits and Friday, Orient-Macksburg is in town for a makeup game. Next Tuesday, July 2, the Wolverines play at Class 1A’s seventh-ranked Southeast Warren. Postseason brackets were due to be released this Monday, July 24.

The Wolverines got their first look of the season at Class 1A’s top-raked Martensdale-St. Marys June 19, a day after they topped Central Decatur on the road. The game between Nodaway Valley and the Blue Devils was a makeup from a previous postponement. Big innings abounded for MStM and it used them for a 17-0 six-inning win.

The Blue Devils scored six in the third and 10 in the sixth toward the win, but the Wolverines did get out of jams in the first two innings and left MStM runners stranded at second and third with two outs and didn’t allow a run in those situations. The Blue Devils went yard three times, hitting home runs in the game that accounted for six of their runs.

Lea Stonebraker broke up a no-hit bid by the Blue Devils in the bottom of the third with a single. Addison Glade had the other hit, which was a single in the sixth.

Taylor Laughery, Kynnady Van Eaton, and Carolin Britten all reached base via walks. Jorja Holliday pitched six innings, struck out four and walked two in the loss.

Going on the road the following night, in a doubleheader at Lenox, the Tigers ralled in the opener to win 7-5. NV came back in the second game, winning 12-0 in four innings. The bats were alive against the Tigers as between the two games, the Wolverines totaled 22 hits.

Lenox led 2-0 in the first game going to the third inning. The Wolverines scored all their runs over the next two innings, including three in the top of the third for a 3-2 lead. A single by Grace Klobnak, double by Jorja Holliday and walk drawn by Kynnady Van Eaton set the stage, then Lea Stonebraker singled to score Klobnak, and a two-run single by Caroline Britten scored Holliday and Van Eaton.

In the top of the fourth, the Wolverines extended their lead to 5-2 with two runs. Both came off of a two-run single by Rardin, which scored Addison Glade and Klobnak, who both singled to lead off the inning.

The Tigers rallied and tied the game at 5-5 with a three-run seventh, which forced extra innings. The Wolverines got runners to first and second in the top of the eighth but were held scoreless. In the bottom of the eighth, a two-run single from Danielle Robinson allowed Lenox to walk off.

NV had 12 hits in that first game, led by Klobnak, who was 3-for-4, while Laughery, Holliday and Stonebraker all had two hits in the game. Rardin and Britten each drove in two runs, while Stonebraker drove one in. Holliday pitched the whole game, taking the loss, despite having 11 Ks and walking just one.

In game two, the Wolverines had 10 hits. Britten had a monster game at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a single and a grand slam. She had five RBI. Klobnak was also 2-for-3, to go with two RBI. Rardin and Van Eaton also had hits and drove in two runs. Laughery had one hit and an RBI while Glade, Stonebraker and Kacie Ford all had hits as well. Holliday pitched a four-inning shutout. Stonebraker robbed Lenox’s Sadie Cox of a home run, jumping high to bring a home run back for an out in the game to help preserve the shutout.

Mount Ayr spoiled NV’s Senior Night last Friday, taking a 6-3 win over the Wolverines to sweep the season series between the two schools. The Raiderettes broke a scoreless game in the top of the third with a pair of runs. Another Raiderette run scored in the top of the fourth to give Mount Ayr a 3-0 lead. The Wolverines got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the inning. Stonebraker led off with a single and went to second on a Van Eaton walk. Britten scored Van Eaton on an RBI single. The Wolverines left the bases loaded before scoring more runs. In the game, the Wolverines stranded 12 runners on base.

Mount Ayr took a 6-1 lead into the top of the fifth, but the Wolverines rallied in the bottom of the seventh. A two-run double from Holliday got the Wolverines to within 6-3 with no outs, but they couldn’t get any closer.

Nodaway Valley had seven hits in the game by six different players. Britten led with a 2-for-3 night with an RBI. Holliday had a double and drove in two runs. Glade, Klobnak, Stonebraker and Lillian Dahl all had hits in the game. Van Eaton and Holliday led in walks with each reaching base twice. The Wolverines were issued eight walks in the game. Klobnak and Glade each stole a base in the game. Holliday took the loss after working seven innings and striking out 11 batters.