Ferber fans 13 as Huskies advance
· Yahoo Sports
Jul. 14—WINTERSET — Sixth-ranked Winterset advanced to Tuesday's regional softball final against Grinnell with a 3-0 victory over Creston Saturday night.
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Eighth-grade pitcher Danica Ferber struck out 13 and walked none while allowing five Panther hits. Ferber is the daughter of Orient-Macksburg graduates Danny and Jessica Ferber.
Catcher Kayla Roberts hit a two-run double in the second inning to put the Huskies in front early. Roberts is the daughter of Dillon and Jessie Roberts, also Orient-Macksburg graduates.
Winterset's "small ball" attack accounted for an insurance run in the sixth inning. Eva Minnich singled and moved to second on a wild pitch. An errant throw on Minnich's attempt to steal third allowed the Huskies left fielder to score. The Huskies also had five sacrifice bunts in the game.
Ferber finished strong, retiring the Panthers on three strikeouts in the seventh inning. The Panthers managed five hits, including two by pitcher Kennedy Strider, but Ferber stayed out of trouble with no walks and no errors by her defense. Creston had five errors.
Strider scattered three Winterset hits while finishing with three strikeouts and three walks in one of her most efficient performances of the season against the state-ranked Huskies.
"Would I have loved to not have the errors and maybe it's a different outcome?" Creston coach Gracie Hagle asked rhetorically. "Of course, but Winterset is a very good team and instead of letting them score a huge number of runs against us, we showed that we are capable. It's always such a heightened situation for us with Winterset. We made a lot of plays and I'm proud of them."
Avery Staver, Rohwyn Randall and Sidney Staver each had hits for the Panthers besides Strider's singles in the first and sixth innings. Ferber and the Huskies defense did not allow a Panther baserunner to advance past second base.
"She's a good young pitcher with a good mix of pitches," Hagle said. "She has a good rise ball. We have some aggressive hitters and it's hard to lay off when it looks good."
The Huskies (23-13) face Grinnell (22-9) Tuesday for a berth in the Class 4A state tournament. Grinnell defeated Pella Saturday, 6-3.
Seniors farewell
Shortstop Avery Staver, catcher Sidney Staver and third baseman Jaycee Hanson closed their careers for Creston. Avery Staver, an Iowa Central Community College recruit, was a catalyst at the top of the Panther lineup, finishing with a .427 batting average and a team-high 10 home runs and 50 runs scored. She also stole 22 bases in 23 attempts and drove in 30 runs.
Hanson batted .352 with six home runs, 12 doubles and 24 RBIs. Sidney Staver hit .291 with 13 RBIs. The left side of the infield and the catching position will have new players in 2027.
"Our seniors are such a big part of our team," Hagle said. "Their performance and leadership was so valuable."
Strider and left fielder Jensan Tussey handled the bulk of the varsity pitching duties this year and both will return in 2027. They were also offensive forces. Strider had a team-high 39 runs batted in while hitting a team-best .438 with three home runs. Tussey batted .370 with 29 RBIs. Center fielder Cora Smith hit .368 with 28 runs scored, while going 14-of-14 on stolen base attempts.
Other returning starters are second baseman Sidney McDonald, first baseman Rohwyn Randall, right fielder Bentleigh Collier. However, McDonald is also a catcher so second base could be different next season. Ricci Johnston, outfielder and pitcher, was frequently in the batting lineup and finished with three home runs and a .284 batting average.
Debut season
Hagle succeeded Dave Hartman as Panther head coach this season and saw the team make huge strides from the season-opening 27-8 loss to Clarke. Creston finished 18-16 overall and third in the Hawkeye Ten behind Atlantic and Lewis Central at 13-7.
"After the game I told them that this being my first year, I appreciated them being able to work with me and giving me grace," Hagle said. "It's hard to adjust to a new coach in general, and especially a first-year head coach. I was proud of how they competed as the smallest school in Class 4A. We have to keep it going."
Winterset 3, Creston 0
Creston pitching: Kennedy Strider 3K 3BB. Winterset pitching: Danica Ferber 13K 0BB. W — Ferber. L— Strider. 2B — W: Kayla Roberts. RBI — W: Roberts 2. Multiple hitters — Cr: Strider 2.