Offensive Explosion Leads Tri-Center SB to Win Over IKM-Manning, 14-4

Tri-Center's Kaitlin Kozeal (5-24-24)

Offensive Explosion Leads Tri-Center SB to Win Over IKM-Manning, 14-4 –

(5-24-24) – They’d scored just 4 runs in two games. They doubled that in just one inning on Friday.

Tri-Center softball used an 8-run 2nd and 3 home run outburst to dominate IKM-Manning, 14-4, and earn their first victory on the season.

Shortstop Kaitlin Kozeal led the Trojans’ power surge, going 3-4, with a double, 2 homers, and 5 RBI. Getting the offense going was important to Kozeal and her teammates.

“We've had a couple tough games lately. We've had a couple of bad losses and it meant a lot for us to problem solve and just figure out what we were doing wrong, so we can come out with this win and offensively we just had to, you know, stay in the box and stay back and just figure out how to hit the ball and that's what we did.”

After Wolves pitcher Ella Richards set Tri-Center down in order in the 1st, the Trojans sent 12 batters to plate to score 8 runs, highlighted by a 2-run homer from Hayden Thomas. Thomas, who also got the win in relief, is an important part of the team, according to Kozeal.

“She is a key player. She's really good at communicating and we really need that on our team, a lot of communication, because we're a very young team and not everyone knows what to do all the time, so to have her and to have her at the mound too, she's just really strong. She's a great all-around player.”

IKM-Manning responded in the top of the 3rd with 4 runs of their own. Karlee Arp hit a 1-out, 2-run triple to get the Wolves on the board, then scored on a 2-out single by Richards. Another run came across on a wild pitch to cut their deficit in half.

But that’s when Kozeal busted out.

In the bottom of the 4th, Kozeal took advantage of of the wind blowing out and hammered a solo homer, that began a 3-run out burst and give the Trojans an 11-4 lead. She finished off her day and the game with a walk-off 3-run blast in the 5th to end it on the run rule.

“It was just about the mentality. I knew the wind was blowing back and I knew this was a good opportunity to take the ball and I knew this was a good speed for us. So, just to get in there and to have a good mindset and say just to hit the ball as hard as you can.”

The win was also confidence builder for Kozeal and her teammates.

“It's huge, especially having all these hits and stuff. You know, since we've been struggling, obviously, this is just really nice for us and we really needed this.”

Tri-Center improves to 1-2 on the season while IKM-Manning falls to 1-2.

View past scores by visiting the Iowa High School Athletic Association's website, Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union website,
or Iowa Quik Stats