By John Hirl
The #6 ranked Oskaloosa Indians softball team used some big bats to cruise past the #12 ranked Norwalk Warriors 10-3 in Little Hawkeye Conference action on Friday night.
The scoring started in the bottom of the 2nd inning when Josie Bunnell dug in with the bases-loaded and two away. Bunnell crushed a 3-2 pitch well over the left field fence for a grand-slam, making the Indian lead 4-0.
That lead would hold until the 5th inning with Hayle Hacker in the circle for the Indians. But, Norwalk would get three runs on the board in the 5th inning due to some rare Indian errors to make the score 4-3 going into the 6th inning.
The Indian bats would wake up for the first time since the 2nd inning when they entered the bottom of the 6th inning. Young Indian batters Sophia Dykstra, Abbie Braundmeier, and Kiarra Bjornson would all pinch hit to team up with veteran Josie Bunnell and plate 6 runs in the 6th inning, making it 10-3 Indians.
That score would hold as Hacker (7 IP, 3 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 2 K) shut the door in the top of the 7th inning. Norwalk’s Alyx Witt (6 IP, 10 R, 8 ER, 0 BB, 2 K) got the loss in a game she gave up two home-runs to Josie Bunnell, who finished with 6 RBIs.
The Indians move to 21-4 on the year, while the Warriors drop to 12-12. Coach Jay Harms said his team’s goal was to be a 20-win ball club, something they’ve already surpassed.
Coach Harms also said in the postgame show that he was happy with his team’s hitting, but realized they needed to clean things up defensively come tournament time.
Tournament time is right around the corner for the Indians, who will play their first playoff game on July 7 in Oskaloosa against the winner of a game between Fairfield and Mount Pleasant. The toughest test on paper for the Indians in their regional pairings appears to be fellow Little Hawkeye Conference team Newton (15-3).
The next Oskaloosa softball game on the No Coast Network will be a regular season contest against Eddyville Blakesburg Fremont on June 26. That game, as well as all Indian postseason games, can be heard on 99.5 FM and 740 AM KMZN.
