By Sam Parsons
The Oskaloosa softball team hosted Pella Christian on Monday night searching for their first conference win of the season and the two teams were locked into a fierce battle that lasted for 10 innings and spanned over three hours.
Both teams were productive offensively heading into the contest, setting the stage for a matchup that could see a lot of runs put on the scoreboard. The game delivered on that promise, with the final score totaling 35 combined runs for the Indians and the Eagles.
Pella Christian struck first with two runs in the top of the 1st inning. Leadoff hitter Rachel Kacmarynski reached on a bunt single (her first of 4 bunt singles in the game) and was driven in by an RBI single off the bat of Brynn Roozeboom, who later scored on a single by Finley Snyder. The Eagles would add two more runs to their lead in the top of the 3rd to make it 4-0.
In the bottom of the 3rd, Oskaloosa answered. Junior Leah Lorentzen got on with a leadoff double and moved to third on a single by junior Aracelli Pilcher. Junior Cadence Grubb was brought up to the plate next and promptly launched a 3-run home run to left center, bringing the Indians back into the game with the score at 4-3.
Osky kept pushing the envelope in the bottom of the 4th, taking the lead for the first time with a 4-run frame. Lorentzen hit an RBI single, which was followed by an RBI double off the bat of sophomore Jillian Parks; both players were then driven in on a 2-RBI double from senior Vivian Bolibaugh. A silent 5th inning followed, and the score was 7-4 entering the 6th.
But Pella Christian was not out of it, and their bats were re-awakened in the 6th. Chloe Snyder hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to cut into the Indians’ lead, and the bases were juiced once again after Brynn Roozeboom reached on a walk. Then senior Maddy Van Zee cleared the bases with a 3-RBI double to put the Eagles back on top, 8-7.
In the bottom of the 6th, Osky was able to reclaim the lead. Leah Lorentzen hit her second double of the night, and was later driven in by an RBI single by Celli Pilcher. Cadence Grubb then hit a sacrifice fly to score the go-ahead run, leaving the score at 9-8 entering the 7th inning.
In the top of the 7th, Osky turned to 8th grade pitcher Lylah Hughes for an opportunity to preserve their 1-run lead (junior Cylee Smith got the start and pitched the first 6 innings). Unfortunately for the Indians, an error allowed Libbie Johnston to reach base, and she later scored the game-tying run on a wild pitch, making the score 9-9 heading into the bottom of the 7th. The Indian bats were shut down in that frame, going down in order to send the game to extras.
This was when the wildest inning of the game occurred: in the top of the 8th, Osky swapped Hughes for sophomore Whitney Steinlage in the circle. Pella Christian then caught fire at the plate, recording 5 base hits and batting around their order. When the dust settled, the Eagles had put 6 runs on the board, putting the Indians in a huge hole; however, the Indians answered the bell with a bottom half of the inning that saw them record 5 hits of their own, highlighted by clutch doubles from junior Ireland McGraw and senior Kobie Criss. The Indians may have been galvanized by the ejection of their head coach, Alex DeJong, who was thrown out of the game early in the inning while arguing a called 3rd strike against Celli Pilcher; either way, the game went to a 9th inning with a 15-15 score.
A quiet 9th inning ensued, but the Indians ran out of gas in the 10th. The Eagles scored 5 runs in the top of the 10th after each of their first 5 hitters reached base consecutively. Osky wasn’t able to mount another massive comeback, and the game ended with a 20-15 Pella Christian victory.
Oskaloosa (4-10) hosts #3 (3A) Albia tonight, 6/9/26, before traveling to Pella tomorrow for a doubleheader.
