500-K Club: Luther’s Kendra Cooper surpasses 500 career strikeouts in win over Central to reach American Rivers Conference softball tournament final

CEDAR RAPIDS — Kendra Cooper didn’t know and wasn’t concerned with how many strikeouts she had tallied in her Luther career.

The coaches and her teammates were aware and they made sure to celebrate a milestone. One that came at a rather good time.

Cooper received the game ball and a poster that read “500 Ks” with signatures of Norse players after tossing a complete game shutout against No. 23 Central in the American Rivers Conference softball tournament semifinals Saturday at Clark Field. Sydney Schultz managed an infield single with the bases loaded to score Abby Spore in the bottom of the seventh to lift No. 22 Luther to a 1-0 victory.

The team’s postgame huddle erupted in cheer when she received the ball. Later, Cooper posed for pictures with teammates, holding the poster.

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“I didn’t even know,” Cooper said about reaching 505 career strikeouts after seven against the Dutch. “I don’t really care about strikeouts. I only care about the wins. I’m happy to win with my team and hopefully get one more (Sunday).”

The victory to reach Sunday’s conference tournament final and the gesture meant more than any statistic. She does have a place in mind to store the mementos.

“I’ll probably keep it and put it in my room or something,” Cooper said. “It was really nice for my teammates to think of me.”

Cooper was an all-conference and all-region performer in previous seasons. The fifth-year senior was Newcomer of the Year in 2019 and was dealing at 6-0 when the coronavirus pandemic ended the 2020 campaign. The last two seasons have been good but Cooper reclaimed her old form. She is 21-3 now and will start against No. 4-seed Wartburg for the championship.

“She’s been phenomenal,” Luther Coach Renae Hartl said. “She knew she had something she wanted to do, yet. It’s been wonderful having her back (to form).”

Cooper said she lost the joy of playing softball. She committed to improving her physical and mental health. The team has witnessed the growth.

“I put a lot of work in, not just physically but mentally, over the last year,” Cooper said. “Just kind of playing my best ball, right now, and having fun with my teammates.”

The lone run was enough with Cooper, who notched her second straight shutout and third consecutive victory over the Dutch in the last 10 days. She threw both games of a doubleheader sweep of Central (31-9) May 3 to secure the No. 2 seed. The former Lansing Kee prep provided another stellar performance, allowing two hits and just four baserunners while increasing her scoreless inning streak against the Dutch to 15 innings.

“Playing them three times in the last two weeks meant it was obviously going to be a close game,” Cooper said. “We came out on top.

“I trusted in my teammates the entire game. I knew that we were going to come through and score one for the win.”

Cooper engaged in a pitching duel with Central ace Emma Beck. The Norse (32-7) had chances but stranded the bases loaded in the fourth and sixth innings. Luther left nine runners on base until the final frame.

Belle Berg opened the bottom of the seventh with a double to left center and moved to third on Anna Forari’s sacrifice bunt. With the league’s leading hitter, Spore, up with one out, Central elected to walk Spore and Leah Crown to load the bases.

The strategy worked for a force at home for the second out, but Schultz followed with a hopper in the hole between shortstop and third that moved up everyone. Spore scored the game-winner.

Schultz finished 3-for-3 with a walk to lead Luther.

“That is what high-level Division III softball is all about,” Hartl said. “It was a classic.

“It’s the kind of game we want to be in, going into this kind of level of play in the postseason.”