Softball

Hawkettes Drop Season Opener to Madrid, 8-2

East Greene opened the 2009 softball campaign with an 8-2 loss at Madrid on Thursday.

It was the conference and season opener for the Hawkettes putting them at 0-1 in the league with Madrid starting the conference campaign at 1-0.

The Hawkettes will be out to improve on their 6-18 record last year and their 2-16 conference mark, which saw them finish last in the West Central Conference. Leading the team this year are seniors Ashley Thorpe and Megan Johnston and junior Malarie Gilley. Other letter winners returning are junior Heidi Kiner and sophomores Molly Neese and Katlynn Gannon.

Thorpe was a first-team all conference pick two years ago and was named to the second team as an infielder last year. She is projected to be the starting pitcher this year, taking over for the Jess Sillyman, who graduated in 2008, along with Emily Neese, Emily Gilley and Lacey Heater. Malarie Gilley, a junior, is a two-time all-conference honorable mention pick.

EG may have finished last in the league in 2008, but they were competitive with all the teams, rarely losing by more than three to four runs, with very close losses to top teams CR-B 9-8, DMC 5-3, and GR 8-5. Only one game was shortened by the 10-run rule, an 11-1 loss to Panorama at Panora, which was called after 5 innings. Twice the Hawkettes triumphed over two foes in games shortened by the 10-run rule: 11-1 over Adair-Casey in non-conference action and a 10-0 shutout of league foe Guthrie Center.

A few breaks and last year's record could have been much different as the Hawkettes lost tough one-run games to Panorama and West Central Valley and fell by just two runs to Van Meter in Grand Junction and by three runs to the Bulldogs in Van Meter. EG stayed with league champ Madrid, losing by just five and six runs in their home-and-home series. The Hawkettes ended the season in first round regional play at Madrid with another tough loss to Van Meter, this time by one run, 3-2.

The highlight of last season was a 2-1 win over Jefferson-Scranton at the Bob Morgan Tournament in Ogden, giving the Hawkettes and Hawks a clean sweep in baseball and softball in 2008 over their much larger rivals and neighbors to the west.

The high level of competition in the West Central was evidenced by EG's 4-1 non-conference record (with the exception of the regional first-round loss to Van Meter). In addition to the wins over J-S and Adair-Casey, the Hawkettes beat Southern Cal and Newman of Mason City, and lost to Ogden.

Madrid won the West Central championship with a 17-1 record. Des Moines Christian and Glidden-Ralston tied for second place at 15-3. Madrid made it to the regional finals before falling to Southeast Webster-Grand, 10-0. SWG advanced to the state tournament at Fort Dodge where they finished fifth.

SWG and Madrid have emerged as area softball powers in the last few years, supplanting Woodward-Granger, Coon Rapids-Bayard and Earlham. SWG competes in the Twin Lakes Conference and Woodward-Granger in the Heart of Iowa small school division. But W-G moves to the West Central next year, replacing Glidden-Ralston, as the Wildcats will be members of the Rolling Hills Conference next year, joining Paton-Churdan, which left the WC for the RH in 2007-08.

Glidden-Ralston could make its last year in the league its best ever as the Wildcats return both first team all-conference pitcher, Hallie Schon, and first-team all-conference catcher, Krystin Winkler, along with senior infielder Madison Ball. All three are seniors, giving G-R solid veteran leadership.

Earlham and Coon Rapids-Bayard look to be contenders for the conference crown too. Earlham returns seniors Rachel Gilmore, pitcher, and Jamie Imboden, infielder, both second-team all-conference picks last year. CR-B is having a phenomenal year in girls sports, as its volleyball, basketball and golf teams have all advanced to state, giving the Crusaders an across the board sweep in fall-winter-spring. They could make it a clean sweep of fall-winter-spring-summer with their softball squad this season as veterans Heidi Esdohr, Taylor Hilgenberg, Lindsey Reis and Gentry Sheer, all seniors, return to the diamond for their final appearances in a CR-B uniform. Eisdohr is a three-time, first-team all-conference pick. Hilgenberg was a first team wild card pick last year, while Eisdohr was picked as infielder.

Des Moines Christian can't be counted out as they have developed a strong tradition, winning conference champions in 2006 and 2007, the same year they advanced to the state tournament and finished as consolation champions (fifth place), ending the season 38-3.

Southeast Webster-Grand has been to the state tournament three of the last four years. Earlham made it to state in 2006, as did Madrid, competing then in the Heart of Iowa Conference.

WEST CENTRAL CONFERENCE
(through 5-28)
Coon Rapids-Bayard 1-0
Des Moines Christian 1-0
Earlham 1-0
Glidden-Ralston 1-0
East Greene 0-1
Guthrie Center 0-1
Panorama 0-1
Van Meter 0-1
West Central Valley 0-1

Conference Scores, Tuesday, May 28:
CRB 3, GC 2
DMC 5, VM 3
EAR 4, PAN 0
GR 2, WCV 1
MAD 8, EG 2

Area Scores, Tuesday, May 28:
J-S 9, Gilbert 4
SWG 11, CWL 0
WG 11, Roland-Story 1