WLA softball hammers Howards Grove to open playoffs

Addy Suprenand was all over Howards Grove pitching on Thursday evening.

The sophomore second baseman made hard contact all three times she was at the plate and helped lead Winnebago Lutheran Academy to a 13-0 WIAA Regional win from Smith Field at Marian University.

Suprenand finished the day with a single, double and triple. She drove in a first-inning run and another two on her triple in the third.

"I was just mentally prepared to wait back and drive it," Suprenand said. "I wanted a lot of liners and hard ground balls rather than pop-ups. I told a lot of my teammates that and I thought we executed."

Vikings' junior pitcher Maddie Anhalt went two-for-three at the plate with two runs and two RBIs. Anhalt also started in the circle and pitched a gem, striking out 13 of the 18 batters she faced.

Coach John Suprenand said the team knew what they had in Anhalt, it was just a matter of the rest of the pieces coming together.

"All we have to do is play some defense and put some runs up for her and she's going to compete every single night," coach Suprenand said. "When she hits her spots, she's tough against any team."

The Vikings (10-10) made hard contact regularly and drove the ball up the middle and to the opposite field despite facing slower pitching from the Tigers.

"When you see that slower pitcher that means you have to wait back," coach Suprenand said. "When you start seeing [balls] into the right-centerfield gaps, that means we're doing the right thing. The hitting was fun to watch tonight, that's for sure."

Addy Suprenand said offensively there's been two places where the growth has been evident.

"We've been becoming more consistent at the plate, and I think that [the slow start] came from us being young," Suprenand said. "We have a lot of confidence now so I think we're just going to keep getting better."

Senior captain Averie Suprenand had one hit, which came in WLA's seven-run third inning. She hit the ball into the right-centerfield gap and she came all the way around to score on the inside-the-park home run.