Both the Pella and Pella Christian softball teams went on wild seven-inning rides against Christian school opponents on a chilly Friday in the Tulip City.
Pella fell 13-7 to Grand View Christian at home, while the Eagles dropped a 12-11 contest vs. Des Moines Christian on Eagle Lane.
For the Lady Dutch, they managed a 5th inning rally after trailing the entire contest, tying the game 6-6 heading into the 6th. Each team made it 7-7 after that frame. However, a few passed balls and a key error allowed the Thunder to score six runs in the final inning. Kylie Tauke finished 3-for-3 from the plate, with Kiki Riggen and Bailey Brown each finishing 2-for-2, and two hits each for Thea Wisse and Tori Van Vark. Pella falls to 1-1 and hosts a home invitational today.
It took an inning for the gears to turn on opening day, but once they started, they didn’t stop for the Pella baseball team until they earned a 14-3 five-inning win over PCM Monday night, as heard live on 92.1 KRLS.
The Mustangs jumped on the Dutch early with a two-run first inning, and Easton Webb and the PCM defense retired the first five Pella batters in nine-pitches in the bottom of the frame.
However, the Dutch offense responded with five in the bottom of the 2nd and seven in the bottom of the 3rd, with two home runs book-ending the scoring; the first coming from Cole Hillman to give Pella a lead they wouldn’t lose, and Nick DeJong putting an exclamation point on opening day with a two-run shot off of the scoreboard: