Coe softball extends winning streak to 12

CEDAR RAPIDS — Coe’s Heather Boeckenstedt wasn’t sure when the win streak started.

She just knew the last loss wasn’t pleasant and it was in Arizona.

Something has clicked during the last month and the Kohawks have soared since that 9-4 win by Sul Ross State on March 16, going almost a month without a setback and ascending the national rankings.

“We believe in each other so much more this year,” Boeckenstedt said. “We’ve had a few freshmen step in so I know we are capable of winning every game we play, honestly. I think we all believe that.”

Coe extended its successful stretch to 12 straight victories, sweeping Monmouth (Ill.) College in a non-conference doubleheader Wednesday at Clark Field. The Kohawks are 23-3 overall, which includes a 6-0 mark in the American Rivers Conference.

“It’s just been a complete team effort, in general,” Coe Coach Jake Koolbeck said. “It’s a really good group from top to bottom. They all play hard. They pick each other up.”

They showed their grit and savvy play, winning in two separate ways against the Fighting Scots. In the opener, Coe fell into a 3-0 deficit before battling back for a win.

Boeckenstedt scored on a hit by Ruby Kappeler, who scored on an error to move the Kohawks within a run after three. Coe took advantage of another miscue to plate Shaylee Dodd and tie the game in the fifth.

Freshman Marisa Vodicka provided a big blast in the sixth to give Coe the lead for good. She belted a leadoff home run over the left-field fence, despite a strong wind blowing in, and sometimes across, from right center.

“I was looking for my inside pitch,” Vodicka said. “We’ve always worked looking for your pitch, especially when you’re ahead in the (count). I thought it was great that I got the pitch I wanted, drive it and help my team pull it through.”

She said she hadn’t been in a situation to hit a go-ahead home run late in a game, but it provided a great feeling, especially as an underclassman.

“It felt really smooth,” Vodicka said. “It felt like I was taking BP in the cages. It was a nice hit.”

The Kohawks showed their resolve, chipping away at the lead. It may be ugly at times but they find a way to get the job done.

“There is never any quit and we figure out ways to use everything we have on our roster,” Koolbeck said. “We got a big home run from Marisa in that first game. We had some aggressive base running in the second game to score runs.”

Coe pressured the Fighting Scots’ defense and led to an early lead. Boeckenstedt reached on a single and moved to second on an error, scoring on another miscue for a 1-0 lead after the first of Game 2. She doubled in the third, completing a double steal with Kappeler, which led to Skyler Stookey’s sacrifice fly and Dodd’s RBI single. Dodd scored on an Addie Menke base hit to cap the scoring in the sixth.

“We’ve just been finding ways to win,” Boeckenstedt said. “That’s what matters right now.”

Hannah Ausenhus earned the win in the opener, while Abbie White was victorious in the nightcap for Coe.

“Our pitching and defense have been really good the last two to three weeks,” Koolbeck said. “That’s been really helpful.”

The Kohawks play Wartburg Saturday at Waverly.

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