CLARION – Wins don’t need to have beauty, particularly when they’re needed to end a stretch of futility.

And that’s why Webster City softball coach Jess Howard was willing to overlook the four errors and eight runners left stranded on the base paths Wednesday night. The Lynx needed to remember what success felt like, and after a few tense moments late they received that reminder.

Staring at the tying run standing on third base with just one out in the seventh inning, WCHS senior right-handed pitcher Gabbi Hoversten dug deep to get a strikeout and slow roller to second baseman Kali Dawson to preserve the Lynx 3-2 victory over North Central Conference rival Clarion-Goldfield-Dows.

WCHS (7-9, 6-2 NCC) ended a four-game skid and, more importantly, remained in second plate in the league standings with six outings remaining on the docket.

A longtime conference second-tier finisher, CGD (6-4, 3-4 NCC) gave the Lynx everything they wanted and them some. The Cowgirls out hit WCHS, 9-6, but couldn’t overcome eight errors that led to all three of the Lynx runs.

“Clarion is not the Clarion of old,” WCHS head coach Jess Howard said. “They are a good team and they’ve got a solid pitcher (Sydney TerHark). She did a good job of keeping us off balance.”

CGD also received a 4 for 4 performance at the plate from clean-up stick Hannah TerHark. She singled in the first run of the game in the opening inning and belted back-to-back doubles to lead off the fifth and seventh frames. But Hoversten was able to extricate herself from both jams without any serious damage inflicted.

“(Hoversten) did a great job of hitting her spots, especially in that seventh inning,” Howard said. “It would have been easy for everyone to crumble when TerHark got that double in the seventh inning, but we did a good job of preventing them from scoring that run.”

Hoversten racked up eight strikeouts against no walks en route to the win.

WCHS tied the game at 1 in the second inning when Taylor Schnathorst came sliding into the dish on a double steal. She led off the frame with a bloop base hit to center.

A pair of CGD errors aided two more Lynx runs in the third. A base hit to center by Allie Flaws ignited the outburst and she raced home on a bungled grounder off the bat of Taylor McKinney. Aboard on the error, McKinney eventually scored as well on a passed ball.

The Cowgirls closed to within a run in the bottom of the third courtesy of two Lynx errors, but left the bases loaded when Hoversten got a strikeout to end the inning. It was a recurring theme for CGD, which left 11 runners aboard in the game, seven of them in scoring position.

Maddie Disney added two hits and scored a run for the Cowgirls. McKinney laced a base hit for WCHS in the fifth and was robbed of another hit in the seventh when CGD left fielder Lexy Gatewood made a diving grab on a line-drive shot.

Chelsey Wagoner had the most success off Sydney TerHark; the Lynx No. 8 hitter roped two base hits in three plate appearances.

No. 4 Solon wallops Lynx in 5

WEBSTER CITY – An inability to make routing plays led to a slew of errors, 11 in all, for the Webster City softball team in a 17-4, 5-inning loss to 2015 state champion and fourth-ranked (Class 3A) Solon last night at Lynx Field.

WCHS jumped out to a 4-0 lead on the Spartans after one inning, but then watched the visitors score 6, 4, 3 and 4 runs in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings.

“The girls were three outs away from being competitive against a very tough team,” WCHS head coach Jess Howard said. “They have the potential to do great things, they just have to start believing they can run with anybody.”

Courtney Lampman went 2 for 3 with two RBI for WCHS (7-10) and Cynthia Whitehill added a run-scoring single. Taylor McKinney lashed a double and Cassidy Nerland registered a single.

Monika Bevans crushed a third-inning grand slam and finished with five RBI for Solon (12-5).

Both teams will be in the field at the Fort Dodge Invite today and tomorrow.