Apr. 4—ROSE CREEK — The Southland senior softball team made things look routine as they rolled to a season opening 11-0 win over Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons in Rose Creek Friday, but things haven't always been this way.
Southland's three seniors Jaida Sorenson, who went two-for-two with two RBIs, Abby Sorgatz, who went one-for-two with a double, and Riana Ulven, who went one-for-two, have all seen the program grow drastically in the last four years.
"We've come really far," Sorgatz said. "It feels good to be a senior and know that you're going to have a good team."
Before this senior group arrived at the high school, the Rebels had endured nine straight losing seasons, including a winless campaign in 2019. Things have changed drastically in recent years as the Rebels have put together three straight seasons with a winning record, compiling a mark of 48-17 over that stretch.
"It's a good feeling. We're proud of ourselves and we've come a long way since we were freshmen," Ulven said. "We work on hitting every day and we work on a lot of fundamentals."
Sorenson has been a fixture at shortstop in recent years, but now that she's a senior, she's looking to make a bigger impact as a player, especially since the team is made up of mostly sophomores.
"Being a senior, you kind of have to step up," Sorenson said. "As a shortstop, you have to be the leader of the infield. I've had to talk more and be vocal."
Southland (1-0 overall) took a 6-0 lead when it scored five runs in the second and it added five more runs in the third. Kiley Koenigs knocked in three runs and Laney Weis added two RBIs. Weis also struck out nine to score the shutout.
"I have a lot of high hopes for them this year and we've set some high goals," Southland head coach Tom Clements said of his team. "This was our first game outside and we had some mistakes, but I think we can get it cleaned up. We had some good, timely hitting to start the game. One of the things we've really stressed is to get our offense to come alive. We've always had good pitching and defense, and now we're trying to get all three together."
ACGE 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 2 2
Southland 1 5 5 0 X — 11 12 0
Southland pitching: Laney Weis (W) 5 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 0 R, 9 K
Southland hitting: Weis, 2-for-2, 2 RBIs; Grace Kresbach, 1-for-2, RBI, 3 R, BB; Kiley Koenigs, 2-for-3, 3 RBIs, R; Clara Timm, 2-for-4, 2 RBIs; Hayley Lowe, 0-for-3; Jaida Sorenson, 2-for-2, 2 RBIs, 2 R; Shannon Kiefer, 1-for-2, R; Riana Ulven, 1-for-2; Sadie Miller, 0-for-1; Kaiya Hemann, 0-for-1; Camryn Deters, 0-for-1; Ava Golombowski, 0-for-1
