Lady Hawks move to 3-0

DONNELLSON — Last season’s run to the Class 3A regional final, and the fact that just about every player is back from that team, has led to plenty of optimism around Central Lee’s softball program.
Optimism is one thing, pressure is another. Which is why coach Jason Hawk told his team in this opening week of the season to just relax.
“They know we’ve got a good shot at doing something,” Hawk said after Thursday’s 6-1 win over Holy Trinity. “I just wanted to make sure they don't put a lot of pressure on themselves.”
The Hawks have opened the season with three consecutive wins, but Hawk wanted to make sure to talk to his team after Tuesday’s 9-1 win over Van Buren County.
“The first game, I could see the pressure,” he said. “That's why I wanted to talk to them about it. And they've really accepted what they are supposed to do, and they know what they can do and what we're capable of doing.”
Central Lee had six hits in this game, but capitalized on three Holy Trinity errors that led to three runs.
“A lot of players can worry about their stats,” Hawk said. “Our players aren’t like that. They want to win games, and you can see that in the way we play.”
Central Lee lost only one senior — shortstop and captain Shanna Buford — from last season’s team.

“It’s about the same team as last year, it really is,” Hawk said. “Everybody is going to start figuring out their roles and everything as a team, and we’ll keep improving.”
The Hawks are a measuring stick for the Crusaders (3-1), who have also had a strong start to this season.
“We got run-ruled by them twice last year,” Holy Trinity coach Loren Menke said, referring to the Hawks’ 13-1 and 11-1 wins over the Crusaders last season. “We came in here tonight and played with them. A couple of plays here or there, and that’s a different game.
“Central Lee is the team that everybody's looking up to in southeast Iowa. So for us to come out here and play with them, that's encouraging. That's where we want to be.”
Central Lee took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Kenna Sandoval singled, stole second, and scored on an error. The Hawks added two runs in the third inning on a throwing error and a sacrifice fly by Marie Young.
Holy Trinity got its lone run in the sixth inning when Cadyn Holmes singled to drive in courtesy runner Kara Lake. The Hawks then put the game away in the bottom of the inning with three runs — one scored on an error, one on a ground out by Aubree Bushnell and one on a sacrifice fly by Jali Hawk.
It’s been a busy opening week for the Crusaders, who play Mediapolis on Friday.
“This is a really tough schedule this week,” said Menke, whose team defeated Danville on Tuesday before sweeping a doubleheader at Keokuk on Wednesday. “Terrible scheduling by me. But to be 3-1 at this point is a good start.”