ROCHESTER, Minn. - When Bo Tjebben heard there was an opportunity to play here Saturday, he jumped at the opportunity.
Tjebben and the 18th-ranked Iowa Central softball team took advantage of the opening, sweeping Riverside (25-0) and Gogebic (12-0) to improve to 2-4 on the year.
"I got the call that they needed a team and we were ready to get on the bus and go play," said Tjebben, who is in his first year as the head coach. "It didn't matter who we were playing or what time the games were scheduled (7 a.m. and 9 a.m.). We just wanted the chance to get on the field."
In the opener from the Rochester Dome, former Humboldt standout Carlie Thompson connected on a three-run homer to provide all the support Kayla Wookey would need as she tossed a five-inning no-hitter with 13 strikeouts.
Thompson finished 4-for-4 at the plate while Fort Dodge Senior High grad Loghen Schnetzer had a two-run double. The Tritons scored 13 runs in the fourth inning. Thompson, Schnetzer, Abby Wilson, Abbie Thilges and Megan Poole all had multiple hits for the Tritons with Wilson adding two steals.
"Carlie has really been putting in a lot of work to improve her swing," Tjebben said. "It was great to see her have success with it."
In the win over Gogebic, Thilges was 3-for-4, driving in four runs including a double. Iowa Central had another big frame, scoring nine runs in the second.
"It was good to get out there and play, to give the girls some confidence," Tjebben said. "We had great team chemistry and it was a good atmosphere."
Madison Huisman, Thilges, Thompson, MacKenzie Rosenboom, Laila Pelds and Allyson Stewart all drove in runs. Huisman had 11 strikeouts in four innings with just a single hit allowed.
Pelds had two homers with Stewart and Rosenboom each connecting on one. Rosenboom's homer "was the longest the umpire doing our game said he has seen hit in 12 years inside the dome."
"Our pitchers did a great job of hitting their spots," Tjebben said. "They were really on-point and had so much juice behind everything they threw."
Iowa Central has a date set for March 7 with the Ottawa JV before heading to Fayetteville, Ark. for a series of games March 12-14.
-By Dana Becker