That’s more like it

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Clarion-Goldfield 000 000 0-0 2 3

Webster City 100 005 x-6 8 1

Arien Rodamaker and Kenzie Haupt. Kaitlyn Biere and Jessica O'Connell. W-Biere. L-Rodamaker. 1B-CG: Rodamaker, Jenna Tenmeyer; WC: Mikaela Pruismann, Breanna Gourley, Grace Nelson, Megan Wood, Caitlin Finucan. 2B-WC: Pruismann, O'Connell. HR-WC: Nelson. RBI-WC: Gourley 2, Nelson 2, Finucan, O'Connell.

WEBSTER CITY - Grace Nelson's dad, Mark, was telling her the truth when it came to her glasses. And after her performance Thursday night she really hopes he was telling her the truth about a certain new car.

Nelson, a Webster City sophomore, cranked the first home run of her career - a 2-run shot that just snuck inside the left-field foul pole - in the sixth inning and the Lynx softball squad cruised to a 6-0 North Central Conference victory over Clarion-Goldfield at Lynx Field.

At her dad's insistence, Nelson bagged her contact lenses in favor of her glasses about two weeks ago, and he also told her that if she ever hit a dinger, well, a new car may be in her future.

So, Mark, I guess it's time to go shopping.

"Hopefully the new car happens. I guess we'll see," a beaming Nelson said just minutes after the Lynx improved to 17-8 overall and 13-3 in the NCC. "I'm pretty excited right now and the first thing I thought about was my glasses because my dad was pretty hard on me about wearing them. But I guess it paid off."

The euphoria following the win was tempered however after Webster City learned it had been eliminated from conference championship contention. Fort Dodge St. Edmond wrapped up the league crown Thursday night with an 8-3 victory over Iowa Falls-Alden.

Still, Lynx coach Jessica Kastler said it was a welcome sight to see her team having fun again just one night after dropping a 5-4 decision to Clear Lake.

"This just got the girls back into the groove of things," Kastler said. "You could tell they were having fun out there and that's the big thing with them."

Kastler was the target of quite a few line-drive shots that her players hit foul throughout the contest. The Lynx were constantly out in front of the offerings of Clarion-Goldfield pitcher Arien Rodamaker and the result was 20 consecutive balls hit to the left side of the field. Webster City hit just two balls to the right side in the game.

Being so far out in front led to just one run and two hits through the first five innings. But in the sixth the Lynx began to rough up Rodamaker, as they ripped six hits and scored five runs to put the contest away.

"We didn't get our bats going until that (sixth) inning, but defensively we were sound the whole game," Kastler said. "There were a lot of balls that we hit foul that were solid, but (the players) have got to get accustomed to waiting back and hitting it between the lines. We got more comfortable after we saw (Rodamaker) a couple of times, but we've got to get that going earlier on."

Mikaela Pruismann ignited the sixth-inning onslaught with an infield single down the third base line. She scored one batter later on Breanna Gourley's RBI base hit to left and two batters later Nelson crushed her long ball for a 4-0 lead.

Megan Wood and Caitlin Finucan kept the train moving with back-to-back singles - Finucan's base knock scored Wood - and Jessica O'Connell followed with a double to right field to bring Finucan to the plate with the final run.

Pruismann and Nelson were both 2-for-3 at the dish and Gourley joined Nelson with two RBIs. Pruismann doubled in the opening inning and scored on a RBI ground-out off the bat of Gourley.

The one run in the first inning was all Webster City really needed though, as eighth-grade pitcher Kaitlyn Biere was in command throughout the affair. She surrendered just two hits - a fourth-inning blooper into right off the bat of Rodamaker and a fifth-inning infield single by Jenna Tenmeyer - and struck out seven.