POUNCING ON THE PLATE — North Union’s Olivia Von Bank (21) hops onto the plate after slugging a three-run home run during the bottom of the first inning in Friday night’s Top of Iowa Conference softball game against Garner-Hayfield/Ventura in Swea City. Umpire Corey Christopher watches Von Bank touch the plate. (Photo by Greg Abel)

SWEA CITY — North Union’s potent softball batting order has been productive during the early stages of the summer season.

Head coach Kim Price and assistant Jack Von Bank, however, want their Iowa Class 2A No. 7-ranked Warriors’ offensive attack to become more efficient as the campaign progresses.

Emily Meyer, Olivia Von Bank and Beth Streuber flexed their collective muscle and combined for five extra-base hits to power North Union to a 13-0, three-inning rout over the Garner-Hayfield/Ventura Cardinals on Friday night in Swea City.

Meyer clouted her team-leading fifth home run of the season to walk-off the Warriors with the run-ruled Top of Iowa Conference victory in hand.

Ironically, Meyer’s three-run launch over the centerfield fence with two outs in the bottom of the third bookended what Olivia Von Bank triggered with her first-inning three-run HR over the left-field fence. Von Bank’s round-tripper proved her fourth of the summer.

Streuber, who sports three HRs on the season, smacked a pair of RBI doubles during the four-run second inning and the six-run third at-bat, respectively, to improve her RBI total to 17.

Meyer also drilled an RBI double to the right-center gap in the second to finish with a game-leading four RBIs to build her seasonal mark to 17.

Von Bank, who went 1-for-2 with three RBIs, extended her team-leading RBI mark to 20 on the summer.

“One. We only stranded one runner on base tonight through three innings. That’s a real positive sign,” said Kim Price. “We’ve been working on lowering our left-on-base number. We need to be more efficient in driving in runners when they’re in scoring position.”

The hard-throwing Meyer allowed one-out singles to the Cardinals’ Emily VanDusseldorp and Patience Katter during the top of the first inning before settling into a zone — the strike zone, that is.

Meyer struck out the GHV side during a 1-2-3 second inning before closing the game in the top of the third with her sixth and final strikeout.

Meyer demonstrated outstanding command of the zone by not issuing a walk and pitched three shutout innings to pocket the complete-game victory.

Streuber opened the bottom of the first by drawing a leadoff walk from GHV starter Kaylynn Hook before Shelby Fraker crunched the first of her game-best three hits for North Union. Streuber and Fraker cruised home on Von Bank’s ensuing three-run HR.

Ella Ulrich, who went 2-for-2, utilized her sprinter’s speed to leg out a bunt hit to open the second inning before swiping second and third bases. Ella Ulrich then scored on Kyla Irmiter’s RBI single back through the box.

Irmiter gained third base on Olivia Price’s sacrifice bunt before Streuber belted a run-scoring double for a 5-0 lead.

Fraker collected an RBI via an infield hit before Meyer drilled an RBI double to the right-center gap to widen the lead to 7-0.

Ella Ulrich’s bunt hit combined with Irmiter’s single up the middle and Price’s sacrifice fly to left accounted for a solo run in the Warriors’ six-run third.

Streuber pounded another RBI double, Fraker lined a run-scoring single, Von Bank walked and Meyer connected for a towering three-run HR to center to end the game via the 12 or more-run rule in the third inning.

North Union (12-3) plays Bishop Heelan at 4 p.m. and Class 2A No. 6-ranked West Monona at 6 p.m. today at the Spirit Lake, Iowa, tournament.

GHV   000 —  0   2 0

NU      346 — 13 12 0

Game-winning run scored with two outs in the bottom of the third inning.

Kaylynn Hook (LP), Lexi Hejna (3) and Chloe Mullenbach. Emily Meyer (WP) and Shelby Fraker.

LOB–Garner-Hayfield/Ventura 2, North Union 1. 2B–Beth Streuber (NU) 2 and Emily Meyer (NU). HR–Olivia Von Bank (NU) #4, Emily Meyer (NU) #5. SF–Olivia Price (NU). SAC–Olivia Price (NU).