H-D-CAL Softball Finding Growth Through Adversity

The Hampton-Dumont-CAL softball team has hit the middle of their season, and are growing with a young team.  The girls are learning as they go and will show flashes of being a good team, but then will show their youth with errors or mistakes.  The Bulldogs are battling within a tough NCC softball schedule.

The Bulldog softball team opened up their week with the NCC leading Webster City Lynx.  The Lynx got on the board in the first inning, scoring 3 runs and adding runs throughout the game.  Ultimately the Lynx would earn a 12-0 victory in 7 innings.  Emma Ott led the Bulldogs going 1 for 3 with a double.  The Bulldogs saw three pitchers take the mound with Malie Ott starting and pitching 4 innings, striking out 7 batters, then Trinity Swart and finally Mallory Rieken finishing the game.  

On Tuesday the Bulldogs traveled to Janesville to take on the Wildcats.  A 10 run second inning would be the difference in the game as the Wildcats claimed a 14-2 victory over the Bulldogs.  Mallory Rieken went 1 for 1 with a triple and a run scored.  Swart and Lindaman each drove in a run for the Bulldogs.  Malie Ott and Swart both pitched for the Bulldogs.

Wednesday saw the Bulldog softball team travel to Humboldt for an NCC matchup.  The Bulldogs got on the board early, scoring 2 runs in the top of the first, but the Wildcats battled back and ultimately claimed a 13-2 victory.  Madison Lindaman went 2 for 3 with an RBI.  Malie Ott pitched 4 innings, striking out 1 batter.  The loss dropped the Bulldogs record to 3-11 and 2-5 in the NCC.  

On Thursday the Bulldogs traveled to Grundy Center to take on the Spartans.  The Bulldogs scored a run in the first and the Spartans answered with a run of their own in the second.  The Bulldog had a big 4th inning scoring 6 runs, but the Spartans battled back, tying the game at 7 after 7 innings.  In extra innings, the Bulldogs plated 5 runs and ultimately earned a 12-7 victory to close out their week.  Malie Ott would pitch all 8 innings, striking out 6 batters and helping herself at the plate going 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs, and  Karli Hansen added 2 more RBIs.  The win improved the Bulldogs record to 4-11.

The Bulldogs return to action with an NCC game against the Clarion-Goldfield-Dows Cowgirls on Monday night in Hampton.  After that the West Fork Warhawks come to town on Tuesday, before the girls travel to Algona on Wednesday.  Thursday has the St. Ansgar Saints and rival Iowa Falls-Alden Cadets coming to town to close out the week on Friday.