Softball: Geneva's bats come alive at Burlington Central
It's not that Molly Wrenn doesn't like playing on her home softball field at Geneva.
It's just that the Vikings senior third baseman finds at least one advantage when her team goes on the road.
"I like being away because then you get to hit first and score first and get more energy for the rest of the game," said Wrenn, who was sidelined to start the year with a slightly separated shoulder but is quickly making an impact in the middle of the Geneva order. "It just sets the tone."
Geneva certainly followed that formula in Game 1 of a doubleheader Saturday at Burlington Central. Wrenn cranked a single to start her 4-for-4 day, and the Vikings scored 3 times against Rockets starter Julia Barnes.
Geneva didn't let up much from there, also putting crooked numbers on the board in the second and third innings on the way to a 12-1 win. Geneva also won the second game 8-2.
It was a far cry from three days earlier when the Vikings (4-2) scored just 1 run on 2 hits while striking out 14 times against Oswego.
"We worked on hitting it the other way hard and making good contact other than strikeouts which we had the other day," Wrenn said. "Less strike three looking and just getting your bat on the ball because good things happen."
Kate Geary, who reached base all four times, started the first-inning rally with an infield single. She scored on a line double down the left-field line by Kaitlyn Plocinski. After an error plated another run, Kyla Chenier walked with the bases loaded to make it 3-0.
Geneva scored three more runs in the second keyed by Wrenn's 2-run single and freshman Sam Keller's RBI single.
A 4-run third inning chased Barnes. Plocinski cleared the bases with a 3-run double to deep center, and Wrenn's bloop single to right scored Plocinski to make it 10-0.
"We were aggressive up there," Geneva coach Greg Dierks said. "Our pitch selection for the most part was good. We hit the ball where it was offered. Molly Wrenn is starting to heat up a little bit. She's starting to find her groove. It's good to get her bat going. Sam Keller had a good day too."
Keller went 3-for-4 while Anilise Bragg, Geary and Plocinski all had 2 hits.
Ali Dierks didn't allow a hit in her three innings in the circle; Emily Viebrock pitched the final two innings.
"We were sharper on the mound today and that carries a lot of weight," Greg Dierks said. "It keeps us on our toes defensively. We come in and have a better rhythm."
The Rockets scored their only run in the fourth inning on a triple by Gretchen Schrubbe and Reili Gardner's run-scoring single.
"I told the girls it's not just what you can do on the field, it's also the mental part of it which I feel we're kind of struggling with," Rockets coach Erica Snyder said. "Not only do we want you to try your best physically, it's communicate, it's those little things we're not doing that's not helping our cause. Those smaller things we can control."
In Game 2, Viebrock pitched the first 6 innings and Katy Shawke the seventh.
Chenier went 3-for-4, Bragg drove in 3 runs and Wrenn went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI giving her 6 hits on the day.
Burlington Central will take a 1-4 record into conference play this week.
"We've played good competition," Snyder said. "Geneva has sticks. We knew we would have to have our defense ready to go and unfortunately we are still not there yet."