Newark freshman Rylie Carlson comes through in key moments of 1-0 Little Ten win over Serena

NEWARK – In a game that had its share of key moments, Newark freshman center fielder Rylie Carlson shined in many of them, including what proved to be the biggest against rival Serena.

After an outfield error put a Serena runner on third, Carlson snagged a fly ball by the next batter, then fired a perfect strike to home plate to cut down the potential tying run in the top of the sixth inning. The Norsemen eventually secured a 1-0 Little Ten Conference victory in a matchup of unbeaten league foes Tuesday.

Newark improved to 10-12-1 and 7-0 in the Little Ten, while Serena fell to 12-6 and 6-1. The teams are scheduled to meet again Wednesday in Serena.

“When I saw the ball was hit to me I was excited, because I knew the runner on third was going to try and score,“ said Carlson, who also made a perfect relay throw in the first inning that ended in an out at third. ”I’m confident I can make that throw, but once I let it go, I was a little nervous that it was going to bounce away from [catcher] Sadie [Pottinger].

“I’m thrilled with how it turned out.”

Carlson, who finished 3 for 3 at the plate, also drove in the game’s only run in the bottom of the first after Adelaide Johnson led off with a single against Huskers pitcher Maddie Glade, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Brooklyn Wallin and took third on a wild pitch.

Newark senior Dottie Wood earned the complete-game shutout, allowing just three hits with three walks and six strikeouts.

“I was definitely working my curveball low and away a lot today,” Wood said. “The umpire was calling the corners, so I was trying to hit that spot as much as I could. I was also using my screwball up and in when I felt the hitters were up on the plate or looking for an outside pitch.”

Serena also threatened in the fourth, loading the bases with two outs, but Wood ended the rally with a strikeout.

“Things just didn’t fall into place for us today,” Serena coach Kelly Baker said. “Newark made all of the plays they had to, and we missed out on a few opportunities, as well. These are the types of games where a few keys plays will decide the game, and Newark capitalized on those moments, and we didn’t.”

Serena senior RayElle Brennan had two of her team’s three hits, while Glade suffered the tough-luck loss after giving up just four hits, one walk and fanning five.

“Maddie pitched a really solid game today for us, but we just couldn’t find ways to push any runs across for her,” Baker said. “Hopefully, [Wednesday] we can turn things around.”

Newark coach Jon Wood said he was proud of the way his young team played and how his players kept their composure throughout a big conference game.

“We have a very young team – seven underclassmen in the starting lineup – so this was a super win for us,” he said. “They’ve really come a long way so far this season, and a lot of that is from hard work. We’ve played some pretty tough competition this season, so while our record might not look amazing, we’ve learned a lot from those games.

“Our motto since Day 1 of practice was, ‘Let’s be relentless,’ and that’s what we were today.”