In recent years for the Parkview softball team, there haven't exactly been many opportunities to look back on an impressive offensive showing, but Monday night proved to be a welcomed exception.
Backed by a 13-hit performance and timely capitalization on some Lady Falcons' miscues in the field, the Lady Vikings (3-3) rolled to the tune of a 14-1 win over Glendale (0-4) in five innings and captured their third win of the season after a sluggish 0-2 start.
“Lately, we've been doing a good job of making sure we're not [striking out] looking and we're putting the ball in play,” Parkview head coach Ted Orcutt said. “Good things have just been happening.”
Orcutt's club wasted no time in getting the bats going. After Glendale starter Kate Arthur retired the first two hitters of the game, six consecutive Lady Vikings reached base safely – leading to a three-run top of the first and early momentum for a rejuvenated Parkview squad.
PHOTOS: GLENDALE VS. PARKVIEW
After a scoreless second inning, Parkview was back to form in the third – sending nine girls to the plate and posting five more runs, all with two outs.
The Lady Vikings, already with a comfortable 8-1 advantage, kept the wheels turning with another five-spot in the fourth.
A two-run single by shortstop Ciara Siebert in the frame marked the eighth player for the Lady Vikings to record either a hit or a walk in the contest – illustrating a perfect example of playing together as a team.
“That's what we've really been harping on and we've just been kind of fortunate that we have a bunch of girls that have taken to that pretty naturally,” Orcutt said on the importance of team play. “They're playing selflessly and picking each other up.”
After Parkview added its 14th and final run in the fifth, the focus turned to Lady Vikings starting pitcher Isabel Bartkowiak – looking to close a game out in which she allowed just one unearned run on two hits with three more outs to get.
Despite allowing a two-out hit, Bartkowiak managed to strike out her eighth batter of the night in the inning and finish the job with plenty of run support backing her up.
“It's a lot more comforting than pitching in a close game,” Bartkowiak said when asked about pitching with such a significant lead. “But the pressure is good sometimes, too.”
The Lady Vikings will hit the road to play Buffalo on Tuesday carrying a chip on their shoulder from such a statement win.
“It really picks up the program and it's doing a lot of good for us,” Bartkowiak added in reference to Monday's victory. “We're having a good season.”
Glendale seeks its first win of the year against Walnut Grove at home on Wednesday.
