Prep softball: Ottumwa opens season at Hoover
May 24—DES MOINES — The Ottumwa High School softball team looked to be in midseason form at the plate on Thursday in the season-opening doubleheader at Des Moines Hoover.
The Bulldogs scored 28 runs in just seven innings against the Huskies, winning easily in the first two Iowa Alliance Conference south division games for both teams. After opening the season with a 16-3 win in the opening game in just four innings, Ottumwa shutout the Huskies in the nightcap winning 12-0 in just three innings to complete the sweep.
Avery Franke opened the game with a single to center before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by Sydney Rockhold, setting up Samantha Weeks for an RBI double to deep left. Caysen Thompson doubled the lead, delivering a two-out RBI single that brought in Breanna Griffiths, giving Ottumwa a 2-0 lead in the very first inning of the season.
The Bulldogs added to the lead in the second inning of the opener. Sydney Rockhold and Erynn Ward each connected on two-out, run-scoring hits before a throwing error allowed Griffiths and Weeks to score as Ottumwa opened a 7-1 lead.
Weeks broke the game completely open in the third inning, clearing the bases with a double to deep center giving Ottumwa a nine-run lead. Ward followed with a two-out RBI single, reaching for the third consecutive inning, as the Bulldogs built a 12-1 lead over the Huskies.
Ottumwa added four more runs in the fourth inning of the opener. Franke drove in two runs with a bloop single before scoring on a wild pitch, scoring Ottumwa's 16th run of the season.
Weeks kept on swinging a hot bat, doubling in Franke to open the scoring in the first inning of game two before a wild pitch and an error allowed Rockhold and Weeks to come home, giving Ottumwa a 3-0 first-inning lead. Hunter Caldwell added an RBI infield single, before reaching second on a double steal that allowed Hailey Garrison to score from third and coming home on a throwing error to put OHS up 6-0.
Rockhold added an RBI groundout and Weeks collected her second run-scoring hit of the opening inning in the nightcap, allowing Franke to score her second run of the nine-run rally. Franke drove in Cole with an RBI single in the second inning as Ottumwa tacked on three more runs, including the final run scoring on Hoover's fifth error, helping the Bulldogs clinch the sweep.
Ottumwa (2-0, 2-0 Iowa Alliance) will host Dowling Catholic in a varsity doubleheader at Frank Huston Field next Thursday. Action gets underway at 5 p.m.
