Gehlen softball shuts out West Sioux for 11th straight win

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

By Allen Hamil, Sports Editor

(Sentinel Photo By Allen Hamil) Gehlen Catholic’s Haley Lubben makes contact with the ball in Monday’s win over West Sioux. She drove in a pair of runs in the game.

LE MARS — The Gehlen Catholic softball team continues to rattle off wins with the team taking down West Sioux by a 5-0 score in War Eagle Conference play on Monday for their 11th in row.

“It’s exciting to see your team play like we’re playing right now,” Gehlen Catholic Head Coach Tony Gunter said. “We just want to keep doing what we’re doing, good pitching, defense and timely hitting and that’s what we’ve had the last 10 games and it’s been fun.”

Gehlen got one run across in their first turn at the plate. A walk to Alyssa Kolbeck followed by an infield single for Aspen Mosher and a bunt base hit for Larissa Pohlen loaded the bases for the team. Rylee Schnepf drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home the first run. That was all the damage the team could inflict in that inning as West Sioux pitcher Addi Dekkers worked out of that jam by striking out the next two batters looking and then fielding a bunt to record the final out of the frame.

Gehlen tacked on two runs in the third as the team once more loaded the bases. Mosher led off by reaching on an error, Schnepf drew another walk and Nevaeh Hodgson reached via walk to fill the bases. Jayden Barthole came through with a run-scoring base hit and Ellie Arens knocked home another run with a single to right. The inning came to an end as the Jays tried to get a second run home on the Arens single with the runner getting thrown out at the plate.

Gehlen added two more insurance runs in the fifth as Haley Lubben drove in a pair of runs with a base hit.

While the Jays weren’t able to break open a big inning, Gunter said the team’s small-ball approach has come through when they need it.

“We like to put pressure on people,” Gunter said. “I’m a bunt, sacrifice, bunt for a hit kind of guy. We get a runner to third with less than one out, you can pretty much count on I’m asking somebody to bunt.”

Schnepf added another strong performance in the circle. She started the game by striking out the side in the top of the first as she ended the night with 13 strikeouts. She allowed just two hits in the contest.

The win avenges a 10-0 loss to the Falcons in the season opener. Gehlen’s record stood at 14-5 after the win. West Sioux dropped to 4-12 with the loss.

Lady Jays beat Storm Lake, Sioux Center at triangular

By Allen Hamil

Sports Editor

STORM LAKE — The Gehlen Catholic softball team won a pair of games at a triangular held Saturday.

The Jays won 15-6 over Storm Lake as they were just a run shy of their season-high in scoring.

Seven different players recorded multiple hits in the win as the team combined for 18 hits, 17 of which were singles. Haley Lubben led the team with four hits. Nevaeh Hodgson and Jayden Barthole each finished with three hits. Alyssa Kolbeck, Rylee Schnepf, Ellie Arens and Aspen Mosher added two hits apiece. Kolbeck had the lone extra-base hit with a double as she and Larissa Pohlen led the way with 2 RBI apiece.

Most of the runs were unearned as the Tornadoes committed eight errors in the field. Maddy Raveling took the loss in the circle while Lillie Hoffman also gave up runs.

Addie Konz pitched the bulk of the game for the Jays, going 4 2/3 innings while allowing five runs on four hits and four walks. She struck out three.

Lubben pitched 1 1/3 innings, Addison Kramer faced two batters and Rylee Schnepf struck out three batters in an inning of work.

“Addie started the game with Storm Lake,” Gehlen Head Coach Tony Gunter said. “We got a big lead and then we pitched three other pitchers in that game.”

Cole Richardson led the Tornadoes with a 3 RBI game. Raveling had two doubles as the only player on the team with multiple hits.

Storm Lake fell to 9-9 with the loss. Gehlen improved to 12-5 with the win.

Bats quiet in Sioux Center win

While the two teams combined for 21 runs in the game between Gehlen and Storm Lake, the final score was 1-0 in a Gehlen win over Sioux Center. Mosher came home for the only run in the game as an unearned run.

It was a battle between the pitchers which was won by Rylee Schnepf. She went seven innings and gave up just three hits while striking out 13. Tatum Schmalbeck took the loss despite a solid effort which saw her give up just two hits and two walks in seven innings. She ended with five strikeouts.

“Against a really good Sioux Center team, they pitched their ace and it was fun,” Gunter said. “It was a fun game. We scratched one run across on a squeeze play and Rylee made it hold up.”

Gehlen improved to 13-5. Sioux Center fell to a similar record of 13-6.

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