By Aaron Hagen
Daily Globe
WORTHINGTON -- Liz Hayenga said she wasn’t sure how the season opener was going to go.
But it ended up going pretty well for Hayenga and the Worthington softball team.
The Trojans used a 14-run fourth inning to earn a 21-4 victory over Adrian Area Tuesday.
“I think we did really good,” Hayenga said. “I think we all worked together well. I was excited. I didn’t know how it was going to go. I’m really happy with how it turned out.”
Hayenga was a force on the bases. She reached base in different ways, including a hit, an error, being hit by a pitch and on a dropped third strike. Each time she was on the bases, she scored.
“I was happy with it, but there’s always room for improvement,” said Hayenga, a senior. “Maybe more hits next time. I was happy to get on base.”
The Trojans had 10 hits in the game, but were able to score in bunches. They scored five times in the second, twice in the third before the big fourth inning.
“We’ll take it,” WHS first-year coach Rosalie Hayenga-Hostikka said. “I thought we did a nice job of executing some of the things that we try to do. They are learning all new signs and all new things. We did a good job of putting some pressure on them. We put down some nice bunts, we stole when we were supposed to. We were patient at the plate and had a couple nice hits too. We’re never going to be a team that’s going to hit it over the fence or have a lot of gap shots necessarily. I’m excited. It’s a nice way to start.”
Christina Shorter had a pair of hits and drove in two, while Kourtney Bauman scored three times.
Sydney Ponto earned the victory for WHS, allowing just five hits while striking out five.
After falling behind 2-0, WHS answered with five runs in the second as it took advantage of four walks.
Brittin Fauskee and Payton Sauerbrei each drove in a run in the third inning as WHS led 7-4. But it was the fourth where the game was put out of reach.
“It gets the butterflies out,” Hayenga said of the win. “Now we know we can play this good. If we have a down moment, we know we can get to this point.”
WHS (1-0) is at Blue Earth Area on Thursday.
Adrian Area 112 00 -- 4 5 6
Worthington 052 (14)x -- 21 10 3
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