Photo by Jake Olson: North Union's Aslynn Sobolik trots towards home plate after hitting a home run in the first inning of Wednesday night's contest against ELC in Swea City.

SWEA CITY – The ball was gone as soon as it hit the bat.

Ainsley Ulrich’s third-inning grand slam was more than the final straw in the hat for another North Union victory. It gave head coach Kim Price one of the few cycle performances she has witnessed in her tenure with the Warriors.

18 runs, 15 hits and a consistent showing from Ulrich in the circle. Price’s team put up just about as complete a game as you could ask for this late in the regular season. North Union’s (23-9) 18-4 launch over Estherville Lincoln Central (3-20) extended its winning streak to three since suffering consecutive losses to Van Meter and Mason City this past Saturday. Price had nothing but positives to say following the victory.

“I feel like we just came out and right away hit the ball. We consistently, in every inning, hit the ball and scored runs. It was also really solid contact. We didn’t have a bunch of pop-ups; it was just us hitting the ball solid and finding gaps.”

Outside of Ulrich’s four scathing hits, the rest of North Union’s batting order did their part in putting out a consistent effort against pitchers Kacie Brechwald and Kyleigh Schneider. Seven different individuals recorded a base knock, with five of them getting multiple. Price said it all came down to finding their pitch and executing with a powerful swing.

“For the most part, we were disciplined and just waited until we got a pitch that was good,” Price said. “We’ve been telling them to attack their pitch and not give the pitchers anything or swing at junk. Everybody was motivated and confident. They are all just confident in the box right now.”

The confidence beamed early in the home half of the first. Consecutive patient plate appearances led to a pair of walks for Shallie Walders and Brylie Deim. Two batters later, Aslynn Sobolik hit the first of four Warriors home runs, clearing the left field fence to extend their lead 4-0.

But it wasn’t just the long ball that fueled North Union’s scoring barrage. Singles, doubles, and even a triple, were used to scatter the Midget defense. A balanced attack overall. This was shown in the Warriors’ nine-run second inning output.

Four straight hits from the top of North Union’s batting order helped place three quick scores, with Walders and Maisey Bierstedt picking up the timely RBI hits.

The final blow of the frame came in the form of two extra-base hits from Ulrich and Walders.

Ulrich picked up her third hit of the night with a line shot that fell just over the right fielder’s glove. Her aggressive jump out of the batter’s box not only guided the junior to third base with ease, but also cleared the previous two runners on the basepaths.

The North Union catcher then added onto her night even further with a swift swing of the bat, sending the ball over the left field wall for her eighth home run of the season. Walders second and third RBIs of the contest stamped another crooked inning for her team’s offense.

Two swings in the third inning were all it took to put the mercy rule in effect. Bierstedt started the frame with an aggressive hack at a fastball in the zone. The direct contact with her bat flew the ball over the left-center field fence to add another run.

Kyla Irmiter’s second hit of the night was followed by Lucy Dreyer and RaeAnn Leach reaching base to close out the bottom of the lineup. Ulrich’s home run was a cherry on top of both the contest and her individual performance. North Union’s 47 home runs lead all of Class 1A with comfort.

ELC added runs in the third and fourth innings, one of which came via a home run off the bat of Kacie Brechwald. But Ulrich’s night in the circle was still steady. She finished the complete game effort with eight strikeouts, zero walks, and five hits. Three of the four allowed runs were earned.

“She was calm, collected, accurate and played consistently,” Price said of her ace pitcher. “Even in the couple of times she ran a full count or got down 3-0, she just kept throwing and came back with a strike.”

Price and her Warriors close out the regular season on Thursday night with a contest against St. Edmond (21-9). First pitch is slated for 6:00 p.m. in Swea City.