Early home runs help lift N-P girls to regional win

Nashua-Plainfield needed a good start in Tuesday’s Class 2A regional opener against Belmond-Klemme.
Thanks to Meghan Wright and Toyia Griffin, the Huskies got it.
The two hit back-to-back two-run home runs in the first inning, and Nashua-Plainfield cruised to a 10-3 win over the Broncos.
“I think it just relaxed us,” Nashua-Plainfield coach Hannah Holthaus said after her team improved to 10-16 and earned a regional semifinal date with Central Springs. “We had a shaky first inning in the field and then all of a sudden, we’re up 2-1 and we settled down.”
And while Wright kept the Broncos at bay with a seven-hitter that included five strikeouts and five walks, the Huskies offense had 10 hits and kept adding insurance runs.
Wright, Sydney Hansen and Kaylynrae Woodman all had two hits apiece while Hansen and Breanna Hackman both drove in a pair of runs.
Now, the Huskies head to Manly on Friday to play a Central Springs team that is 25-3 and ranked sixth in the state.
The Panthers, who are ranked sixth by the Iowa Girls Union,  beat the Huskies 10-0 on June 19, but Holthaus said her team is looking forward to the challenge.
“They’re a good team, don’t get me wrong,” she said, “but we’ve come a long way since then. We just need to go play with confidence and see what happens.”