Comets come out swinging

Charles City softball team rolls over North Butler, 13-3, in season opener

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — Tuesday afternoon was the first day the Charles City softball team held practice with its full team.

It showed later that night when the Comets hosted North Butler in both teams’ season opener.

“Defensively, we made a lot of mistakes out there,” Charles City head coach Brian Bohlen said, “but we sure swung the bats.”

The Comets defeated the Bearcats by a slaughter-shortened score of 13-3.

“And we did against one of the toughest pitchers we’ll face this season,” Bohlen said of North Butler ace Taylor Graven.

The Comets jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two innings, but the Bearcats were able to score a pair of unearned runs in the top half of the third.

In the latter half of the inning, Comet junior Sara Martin — back from Des Moines as state qualifier in the shot put — hit a three-run “shot” over the left-field fence to give Charles City some distance at 6-2.

“That was big for us because they were getting right back in the game,” Bohlen said.

Charles City starter Megan Roethler went the six-inning distance while yielding two hits.

The Comets return to action today at Sportsmen’s when they host Turkey Valley.

Adjacent to Charles City’s softball opener, the Comets baseball team was hosting Mason City in their home opener — Monday’s originally scheduled opener against Clear Lake was washed out.

Agains the Mohawks, the Comets struggled offensively as well as defensively on way to losing 10-0.

Theo Arndt’s two-out single in the fifth inning broke up a no-hit bid by Mason City starter Kyle Long. It would be the only hit of the day for the Comets as Long picked up the win after striking out two and walking three in six innings.

Drew Mitchell suffered the loss for the Comets, though only two of the five runs scored off him in two innings were earned.

The Comets committed seven errors, allowing the Mohawks to score 10 runs on just four hits.