Storm Lake softball blanks Spirit Lake 8-0 behind strong start
Storm Lake struck for five runs in the first inning at Spirit Lake High School and never let the Indians breathe in an 8-0 Lakes Conference win.
Five runs in the top of the first inning turned Thursday night at Spirit Lake High School into Storm Lake’s game almost immediately, and the Tornadoes rode that fast start to an 8-0 Lakes Conference shutout. The win completed a season sweep of Spirit Lake and gave Storm Lake another clear early-season marker against a familiar opponent.
Storm Lake added two runs in the fourth inning and one more in the fifth, then closed the door with a nine-hit night at the plate. Abby Bodholdt supplied the power with a home run, while Nadya Hinojos, Avery DeHaan and Bodholdt each drove in two runs. Grace Kenkel and Olivia Speers added an RBI apiece, and both Reagan DeHaan and Cole Richardson scored twice as the Tornadoes kept the pressure on from the opening frame through the final out.
The lineup was spread across multiple contributors, with Reagan DeHaan, Hinojos, Richardson and Bodholdt each collecting two hits. Dikaia Dahlhauser added the other hit for Storm Lake. That kind of balance gave the Tornadoes the look of a team that is not relying on one hot bat or one big inning to carry it through the season.
Avery DeHaan supplied the other half of the statement. In five innings, she allowed four hits, walked one and struck out five while blanking the Indians for the second time in four days. Storm Lake had also beaten Spirit Lake 2-0 on Monday at Tornado Field, when Avery DeHaan threw a four-hit shutout and struck out 12. Together, the two wins showed a pitching staff and defense that have already handled one of the conference’s most recognizable opponents twice.
The result gave Storm Lake its fifth victory of the season and moved the Tornadoes to 2-0 in conference play. It also extended their winning streak against Spirit Lake to six straight, a run that says as much about Storm Lake’s confidence as it does about the scoreboard. With the top of the lineup setting the pace and Avery DeHaan controlling games in the circle, Storm Lake looked like a team with a shape worth watching as the summer schedule tightens.
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