Crusaders get back in the win column

MAKING IT EASIER

She usually lets us know early what's working, what's not working. She's pretty good at being open and communicating, ‘Hey, this pitch is working, or ‘I'm hitting my spot.’ So you know what pitches to call.”

Loren Menke, HTC Head Coach

DANVILLE — Holy Trinity’s softball team needed a response after suffering back-to-back losses.
The Crusaders got that, and then some, in the 12-0 win over Danville on Thursday night.
Holy Trinity (9-5 overall, 4-3 Southeast Iowa Super Conference South Division) scored five runs in the first three innings, then put the game away with a seven-run sixth inning.
The Crusaders were on a five-game winning streak before Tuesday’s 7-0 loss to Wapello and Wednesday’s 4-2 loss to Central Lee.
“After a couple of losses, this was a good win to get,” Holy Trinity coach Loren Menke said.
Sydney Jarvis threw a one-hitter, striking out six in six innings. She walked just one, and pitched around three errors.
“She said her pitches were on, she was hitting her spots, and all her pitches were working,” Menke said. “So that's a good feeling.”
Jarvis helped her cause with a home run in the top of the first inning. The Crusaders then added two runs in the second inning when Cadyn Holmes scored on a throwing error and Kenna Gittings scored on Morgan Krogmeier’s sacrifice fly.
Holmes’ two-run single in the third inning pushed the lead to 5-0.
“It definitely makes you feel a little better when you get a little lead,” Menke said. “Now,, we got a couple breaks there. They made a couple errors, so that helped us get that cushion, but we didn't really let up.”
The Bears (4-8, 2-5) got nothing going against Jarvis. They didn’t get a runner to second base until the fifth inning.
“She usually lets us know early what's working, what's not working,” Menke said. “She's pretty good at being open and communicating, ‘Hey, this pitch is working, or ‘I'm hitting my spot.’ So you know what pitches to call.”
Eleven Crusaders batted in the sixth inning. Jarvis had a two-run double and Gittings had a two-run single. Alivia Holmes, Makayla Simpson and Emily Ross also drove in runs in the inning.
The Crusaders had 14 hits. Jarvis, Ross, Cadyn Holmes, Gittings and Ellie Hellman each had two hits. Every Holy Trinity hitter reached base at least once.
That kind of offense is what Menke wants to see on a consistent basis.
“It’s been kind of up and down,” Menke said. “We haven’t really been jelling yet, but I think we saw a little bit of that tonight.”
Having the offensive pop with Jarvis and Ross in the middle of the order helps, Menke said.
“If Emily can get going, like she did tonight, that's going to really make us tough,” Menke said. “Emily's been in a little bit of a slump, but she's been showing signs of coming out of it so that's great.”
Holy Trinity plays in a four-team event at Hillcrest Academy on Saturday.