The Lone Tree Lady Lion softball team protected their home diamond Friday, breaking out the brooms on the Hillcrest Academy Ravens in a Southeast Iowa Superconference doubleheader sweep. In game one, Lone Tree was a 15-2 winner in just four innings. Due to a rescheduled game, Hillcrest was the home team in the opener. The Lions batted around in the first, Alex Dautremont had the big swing, a two RBI double with Rylee Shield and Haley Bockelman each knocking in one to make it 4-0 Lions. The Ravens started with a pair of first inning runs as Morgyn Nafziger and Delaney Shaw came home on an RBI knock for Kylee Statler, making it 4-2 Lady Lions. Lone Tree added another in the second when Dautremont drove in Vivian Zaruba. Five runs went on the board in each of the third and fourth innings as the Lions sent eight and 10 the plate respectively. Vivian Zaruba, Kayleigh Rundlett, and Dautremont had fourth inning RBI and Dautremont knocked in two more in the fifth. In total, eight of the nine Lions in the lineup scored. Dautremont went three for four with six RBI. Vivian Zaruba was three for three with four runs scored and Haley Bockelman was three for three with an RBI and two runs scored. Abby Zaruba was the winning pitcher, tossing four frames and striking out 10. Statler’s two RBI led Hillcrest as Malia Yoder took the loss in the circle.
In the nightcap, Lone Tree was a 12-2 winner in five. The Ravens scored twice in their first at bat to jump in front. Statler drove in Malia Yoder, and Claire Withrow had an RBI single to bring in Statler to make it 2-0 Ravens. Lone Tree would come back with 12 unanswered. They tied it at two with a pair of unearned runs in the first, as Rundlett and Lila Bell touched home. Four went on the board in the second as Lone Tree batted around. Vivian Zaruba and Rundlett each had an RBI with Bella Pourry, Abby Zaruba, Cate Sexton and Vivian Zaruba all scoring. It was a 7-2 Lion advantage after four when Addison McCullough scored another unearned run. The Lions ended it with five in the fifth. Delanie Graap, Sexton, Vivian Zaruba, Bell and Dautremont all scored, Dautremont had two driven in, Vivian Zaruba added one and Hogan Eden’s two RBI double ended the game. After the contest Dautremont and Eden joined the KCII post game show to talk about their nights.
Dautremont said, “Sitting back and waiting on our pitch. The energy (in a rally) is just contagious. You see someone get a hit and then when you’re up to bat you say ‘I just want to keep it going’. Abby Zaruba started us off in the first game. She was super strong. She was amazing in the circle and the defense really went to work. In the second game, I pitched. The first two innings were a little rough but, we definitely picked it up.”
Eden added, “Being patient on offense was important. Once one person starts going, then the whole team is going. (On her walk-off hit) I don’t even know. I wasn’t even watching the ball. J (Coach Jovonte Squires) was just like ‘keep running’!”
In game two, Dautremont scored the win in the circle, going the distance and striking out nine. Yoder took the loss for the Ravens. Offensively, Lone Tree had nine more hits and capitalized on five Raven errors. Vivian Zaruba and Eden each had two hits and two RBI. Nafziger had two hits to lead Hillcrest. With the sweep, Lone Tree is now 6-6 on the year, 4-3 in Superconference play. Hillcrest falls to 3-8 overall and 2-6 in the league.