The North Callaway Ladybirds needed a little time to get things going in Monday's softball opener against the Sturgeon Bulldogs.
But when they did, the Ladybirds used an impressive finishing kick to polish the Bulldogs off.
Senior starter Madison Ausfahl fanned seven in a two-hit shutout in lifting North Callaway to a 6-0 triumph over Sturgeon on Monday night.
Ausfahl yielded a pair of walks in a game where she got better as the day wore on.
"She did a great job," Ladybirds head coach Brandi Thomsen said. "It took a while to warm up, but once she got going, she threw well."
The same could be said of North Callaway's offense, which stayed in a scoreless stalemate through before its five-run outburst in the bottom of the fourth. Ausfahl led off with a single, then moved to second when sophomore left fielder Kallie Jo Lehenbauer sacrificed her to second base, but reached on an error.
Junior first baseman Taylor Wilson singled in Ausfahl, then stole second base. Freshman third baseman Harper Thomsen walked to load the bases before sophomore pinch-hitter Hanna Knipp drove in Lehenbauer with an RBI single. After freshman shortstop Mackenzie Ausfahl reached on an error, senior second baseman Karlie Popp doubled in two runs to finish off the frame.
The Ladybirds tallied an unearned run in the fifth to complete their day offensively.
Popp was 2-for-4, while senior designated player Taylor Wiseman was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Wilson went 1-for-4 as North Callaway rang up nine hits.
The Ladybirds prevailed 7-4 in the JV game.
North Callaway hosts rival South Callaway in its home opener at 5 today.