Above: West Central catcher Lauren Winters (left) and pitcher Addie Seitz head to the dugout between innings in Monday’s home game against Bushnell-Prairie City. Seitz fired a one-hitter in the Heat’s 16-0 win. Photo/Joe Geren
By Joe Geren
The West Central High School softball team is rebuilding from last year’s 28-7 season, but maybe just a little bit.
“We’ve lost a couple kids, a catcher (MacKenzy Ludington), and we lost a second baseman (Brynna Seitz) that was very important to us,” head coach Dylan Voyles said Monday.
Seitz now plays for Spoon River College.
“To be honest, we’re not trying to replace those kids,” Voyles said. “We’re just trying for another kid to step up into this. We don’t even really talk about that. So far, the girls are doing a good job of getting after it. We’re just trying to move on with what we’ve got right now.”
Monday, in a 16-0 win over Bushnell-Prairie City at Stronghurst, Ill., Lainey Klossing was at second base and Lauren Winters was behind the plate. The Heat scored 12 runs in the third inning and the game was called after 3½ innings via the mercy rule. West Central improved to 3-1; the Spartans fell to 0-1.
Sophomore Addie Seitz was the winning pitcher, firing a one-hitter with no walks and eight strikeouts in four innings. The Spartans’ Cora Gullidge spoiled the no-hit bid with a single.
Bailey Ryan, Shelby Bowman, Chloie Ronner, and Bailie Ferguson had two hits each for the Heat. Bowman, Winters, Ryan, Addie Seitz, Ronner, and Londyn Parker each ripped a double.
The Heat schedule isn’t for the weak of the heart.
“We played Rockridge last Friday,” Voyles said. “Obviously, they’re a pretty good team, back-to-back state champions. I was proud of the girls for stepping up and going down there and playing a nice game with them. We’d like to hit a little bit better, but that’s what we’re working on now.”
Rockridge edged West Central, 2-1. Rockridge senior pitcher Payton Brown fired a one-hitter, giving up one earned run and two walks while striking out 14.
“We play Rock Island next Monday,” Voyles said. “That’s a big test. You’ve got a Western Big Six (conference team) coming to your park. We respect that.
“There’s some competition in our (Lincoln Trail) conference,” Voyles added. “We’re not looking past anybody. There are some good players all through the conference. We’re just going to take one day at a time, one game at a time.”
BASEBALL
B-PC 11, HEAT 0
Bushnell-Prairie City senior pitcher Dalton Strode fired a one-hitter and the Spartans topped the Heat in six innings via the mercy rule Monday.
Strode struck out eight. West Central’s Hayden Eisnnicher broke up the no-hitter with a single in the fifth inning. Kyle Lafary coaxed a base on balls from Strode. Bryce Bigger was the losing pitcher.
The Heat play Illini West at Carthage, Ill., at 4:30 p.m. today and host Princeville in an 11 a.m. doubleheader Saturday.
Above: West Central starter Bryce Bigger fires a pitch to a Bushnell-Prairie City batter Monday at Stronghurst, Ill. Heat first baseman Noah Lenahan watches. Bushnell-Prairie City won, 11-0. Photo/Joe Geren