Photo by Jake Olson: North Union's Shallie Walders was all smiles following her first of two hits during Thursday night's contest against Central Springs in Swea City.

SWEA CITY – Ainsley Ulrich’s first strikeout of Thursday night came at just the right time.

With runners on second and third, Central Springs was looking to cut into North Union’s 4-1 lead at the top of the third with two outs on the board. Libby Bratturd came up to the plate already with one RBI to her resume.

But Ulrich made sure she didn’t plate another. Hurling the softball just under the barrel of Bratturd, Warriors catcher Shallie Walders made it official with a throw over to Klya Irmiter at first. The punchout held the Panthers’ offense in check, giving North Union ample time to expand its advantage.

The Warriors plated four more scores in the third and fifth innings, including a three-run Walders long ball that put the contest away for good. This combined effort fueled North Union’s 8-3 victory over Central Springs, extending its winning streak to four and overall record to 19-7.

“Getting the win today was good,” North Union head coach Kim Price said. “We talked after the game about how we felt we could have done better as far as stringing hits together more consistently. But I’m glad, when we did get down in the beginning or had an error, we did a good job of rebounding tonight.”

The call to bounce back was imminent after Central Springs struck with an immediate run in the first. Gabby Jansen started things by collecting her first of two hits on the night with a shot down the third base line.

Back-to-back fielder’s choice plays from the Warriors’ defense placed the leadoff hitter at third. Bratturd sent her the rest of the way after beating out a slow-rolling grounder to the right side. 1-0 Panthers.

Two quick swings were all it took for North Union to take the lead for good in the second. Walders began the frame with a scorching hit that rolled to the fence for an easy double. Aslynn Sobolik then sent her seventh home run of the season over the left field barrier to put the Warriors on top.

However, the inning didn’t stop there. A walk and a double from Irmiter and Jacie Johnson quickly put two runners in scoring position in a matter of moments. This manufactured the batting order back to leadoff hitter Ulrich, who picked up the two RBI double and her lone hit of the game.

The bottom four players in the batting order finished the night with a combined four hits and one walk. Kim Price says this type of contribution can lead to offensive success in a multitude of ways.

“I think it helps the top of the batting order if they’re not on or kind of struggling,” Kim Price said. “It helped them realize that we have other teammates getting hits to give us another chance.”

Brylie Deim added another score an inning later following her lead-off single. She sped to third after a stolen base and advancing on a Walder’s fielder’s choice grounder to short, before scampering her way home on an errant pitch from Zaila Dahlstrom.

North Union’s final scoring output came from the bat of Walders in the fifth. Olivia Price led the inning with a laser line drive that took her to second. After Maisey Bierstedt reached base on an off-put throw from the Panther infield, the junior then collected a home run for the second straight game with a rocket over the right field fence. Walders now has seven home runs and 31 RBI’s on the season.

Kim Price’s team finished the contest with 10 hits from eight different players. While the offense wasn’t able to deliver the explosive results fans saw against Forest City or Belmond-Klemme, the output was still there to generate eight runs.

“I definitely think we executed,” Kim Price said. “We had multiple doubles and a couple of home runs. Those girls did a great job when it was their turn and got the hit.”

Ulrich closed her complete game effort with zero earned runs and six strikeouts. She allowed four hits while walking three batters. Another consistent effort from the Warriors ace.

North Union finishes the week with a contest at Bishop Garrigan on Friday night at 6:00 p.m. They then travel to Harlan Rodgers Sports Complex to compete in the St. Edmond Softball Invitational, playing Van Meter and Mason City at 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.