Riding back-to-back wins capped by a 20-0 shutout of Bloomington, Iron softball headed into the weekend to face its stiffest test of the young season against 11-3 Dunlap.

Wednesday’s run-rule rout lifted Community to 4-5 overall and 1-0 in Big 12 play, closing out a challenging opening stretch that head coach Mr. Steve Hassel said was always going to test his young roster before conference games arrived.

Against the Raiders, the Iron piled up 20 hits, 17 RBIs and 5 doubles, an offensive explosion the lineup had been building toward after dropping five of its first eight, including losses to Minooka, Mundelein, East Peoria and Tolono Unity.

Hassel sees the slow start as a “glass half full, certainly not half empty” situation. The veteran coach pointed to a “really front-loaded” schedule and said the early stumbles will give way as the Big 12 grind begins.

“We’re heading in the right direction,” Hassel said.

Senior Hayley Michels has powered the turnaround.

Ahead of the game against Dunlap, the center fielder led Community with a .522 batting average and a .607 on-base percentage. Michels was carrying a 5-game hitting streak—going 10-for-16 at the plate—into Friday’s matchup.

Sophomore Avery Head (.476) and junior Bailey Engel (.462) round out the Iron’s top three hitters.

The lineup has also flashed more pop than a year ago. Through nine games, Community has already matched nearly half of last season’s home run total of 9, with four players combining for 4 long balls. Hassel believes this group has “more power than last year.”

In the circle, sophomore Morgan Frailey has carried the workload, leading the staff with 29 1/3 innings pitched, 19 strikeouts and a 3.82 ERA.

Senior Grace Garthaus has been efficient in her looks, posting a 3.13 ERA and a 1-0 record across 15 2/3 innings.

Dunlap entered Friday’s contest with a decorated résumé, having won nine of their last 10, and most recently knocked off Limestone 5-3.