Huskies go the distance but still lose big to Comets

By John Burbridge
sports@charlescitypress.com
CHARLES CITY — To be fair to the Oelwein Huskies, Friday’s game against hosting Charles City was far more competitive than previous recent Northeast Iowa Conference softball matchups between the two teams.

Those games not only rarely breached past the fifth inning, but sometimes didn’t get as far as three full innings as the Comets would routinely compile more than 15 runs in just two half innings at bat.

Though it was a more game effort from the Huskies, the Comets were still about 40 feet from ending it early.

With junior Kiki Connell at third base and the Comets leading 11-2 with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, senior Alex Litterer laid down a safety-squeeze bunt. The ball was cleanly fielded, but with Connell inching up the line ready to make a burst for home in event of what would have been a vain attempt to retire Litterer, it was one of those “the best throw is the one you don’t make” situations acknowledged by the Huskies, who made sure Connell stayed at third.

Oelwein later recorded the third out while preventing the game-ending 12th run from coming across, allowing the game to go the distance though the Comets didn’t need to bat in the seventh in what would be an 11-2 final.

Sophomore Lydia Staudt, hitting in the leadoff spot, had three hits and 3 runs scored; Sadie Gebel had two hits including an RBI double; Lisabeth Fiser had two hits and 2 runs scored; and junior pitcher Dani Reetz yielded 1 earned run while getting the complete-game win for the Comets, who improved to 5-0 at their new home field.

CHARLES CITY 9, NEW HAMPTON 1: The Comets’ subsequent NEIC game against the Chickasaws on Monday also went the distance — but it didn’t seem as if it would early on.

Charles City rallied for 3 runs in the first inning and 5 in the second while jumping out to an 8-1 lead over the hosts.
The Comets only managed to put 1 more run on the board during the next five innings, but it wasn’t from a lack of trying.

New Hampton was able to snare numerous hard-hit balls by the Comets to turn away potential rallies or prevent ones from getting started.

The Comets also threw some leather around while backing Reetz, who recorded her second-straight seven-inning complete-game win.

Reetz struck out six while yielding 1 earned run. She got some help from middle infielders Connell and Fiser, who both started inning-ending doubleplays while thwarting would-be basehits.

Though the game didn’t end early in regards to the seven full innings played, it sure didn’t bust anyone’s schedule as it concluded well under two hours capped with a three-up, three-down bottom of the seventh where Reetz only threw four pitches.

Ashlyn Hoeft had two hits including a double, Allie Cross drove in 3 runs, Ava Ellis had a double and a RBI walk, and Fiser had two hits for the Comets, who won their sixth straight while improving to 7-1 overall and 5-1 in the NEIC.