Lady Bears Use Strong Start to Blast Tigers

North English – EV has been finding their groove recently, winning two of their last three, including a rout of Iowa Valley 13-6 on June 18. The Lady Bears used a strong first inning to take a commanding lead and held off rally attempts by the Tigers to notch the win.

Karyssa Westfall highlighted a big opening inning for the home squad, blasting another home run over the fence as part of a 9-0 inning. She now has two home runs for the Lady Bears and continues to be one of their most consistent hitters at the plate. From that point on, Iowa Valley scratched and clawed their way back into the game, taking small chunks out of their deficit. 

The Tigers responded with a three-run second inning, giving some life back to the visitors. EV would respond by using plate discipline and speed to draw a pair of walks with one runner scoring on a passed ball opportunity. Iowa Valley got that run back in the top of the third and EV tacked on one more with the same method. 

Maddie Mikesell drew a walk, stole second and made it to third on a wild pitch. Isabel Schneider would also draw a walk before Clara Mews laid down a bunt, allowing Mikesell to score from third. Karyssa and Gwen Mews were unable to keep the inning going by flying out and grounding out. At that point, the Lady Bears held an 11-4 lead, but the Tigers chipped away with a couple more runs in the fourth inning.