Creston softball off to ‘sluggish start’

OSCEOLA – During the softball season opener Monday, Creston lost to Clarke, 2-8.

Creston head coach Mike McCabe said the girls were off to a sluggish start in the first inning, giving the Indians three runs off two hits and the Panthers had three errors.

“Just a couple hurried throws ... kind of set up an inning for them,” McCabe said.

McCabe said after Clarke scored two additional runs in each of the third and fourth innings, things settled down and Creston’s defense came in to play.

“But we never got anything going offensively,” he said.

The Panthers scored runs in the fifth and sixth innings. McCabe said Clarke’s Emma Bolton, made it tough, but Creston played better, making nice defensive plays, as the game wore on.

“It ended on a little bit of an upward tick. I thought we competed, didn’t hang our heads and got a little bit better. We’ll be better for having played,” McCabe said.

As he heads into the season, McCabe is already seeing promise among his players. Halle Evans, who was 2-for-3, which included a double, made the first hit of the night when she singled with two outs in the second inning. Naveah Randall and Morgan Driskell, who drove in the teams’ two runs, each had an RBI.

“Defensively, I thought our left side played pretty well,” said McCabe of Randall, a sophmore and third baseman an junior shortstop Gracie Hagle. “Those two, I thought had a nice night defensively.”

UP NEXT — Creston takes on Ames at 7:30 p.m. tonight in Creston.