Youthful CPU bashes its way to state

CEDAR RAPIDS - They're young. Eye-poppingly, jaw-droppingly young.

'Sometimes they play defense like freshmen,” said Center Point-Urbana softball coach John Olachnovitch. 'But tonight, boy, they hit like seniors.”

At least.

The sixth-ranked Stormin' Pointers banged out 12 hits and held off No. 12 Mount Vernon, 8-5, in a Class 3A regional final Monday night at Larry Niemeyer Field.

'We're young, but I think we've got something special going,” said Katelyn Banning, one of seven freshman starters, who capped the offensive fireworks with a sixth-inning home run.

Center Point-Urbana (29-9) advances to the state tournament next week at the Rogers Sports Complex, Fort Dodge. It will face Greene County (27-7) in a quarterfinal at 5 p.m. Monday.

The Stormin' Pointers are making their first state appearance since 1994. Olachnovitch last qualified in 1995 with Linn-Mar.

'Seems like we're (regional) runners-up all the time,” Olachnovitch said. 'Enough of that.”

CPU ensured that it wouldn't play second fiddle again, scoring five times in the bottom of the third inning to erase an early 1-0 deficit.

Maddie Karr, a 14-year-old eighth-grader who supplied the game-winning run Saturday against Independence, was right in the middle of it again. This time, it was with a two-run double to the gap that gave CPU a 3-1 lead.

The Stormin' Pointers extended it to 7-1 with a couple more tallies in the fourth. Then came that defensive lapse that Olachnovitch was pointing out.

CPU committed four straight errors in the fifth inning, allowing Mount Vernon (29-10) to pull within 7-3.

Banning's home run - the left-handed hitter got all of it and sent it out to right field - made it 8-3.

'That pitch was right where I wanted it,” Banning said.

Eight CPU batters had at least one hit. Banning, Karr, Claire Holtz and Megan Croghan had two apiece.

That's three freshmen and an eighth-grader,

'The fact that we're young, I don't think that bothers us,” Banning said. 'Once the game started the adrenaline just kicked in.”

'We just keep our energy up,” Karr added.

Mount Vernon Coach Robin Brand said, 'Our pitchers did everything they can do. They just hit very well. We knew they would.

'Our girls came back and fought to the end.”

The Mustangs got within 8-5 in the seventh and were one batter away from getting the tying run on deck.

Miranda Chapman homered in the first inning, staking the Mustangs to an early 1-0 lead.

CENTER POINT-URBANA 8, MOUNT VERNON 5 (Class 3A Regional Final)

Mount Vernon 100 020 2 - 5 5 3

Center Point-Urbana 005 201 x - 8 12 4

Lily Dahlstrom, Marissa Roe (4) and Annie See. Samantha Croghan and Elizabeth Hearn. W - Croghan (16-7). L - Dahlstrom (15-6). HR - MV: Miranda Chapman (5), CPU: Katelyn Banning (1).

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