One of the top teams in Class AA softball wasted little time in getting down to business at the Aberdeen Dome on Thursday afternoon.

Sioux Falls Washington’s first batter, Isabel Carda, pounded a long home run and the Warriors never looked back on the way to a 15-0 three-inning win over Aberdeen Central.

“This was the best team we’ve seen in the two years that we’ve been a program,” said Central coach Cassidy Neer after the Warriors collected 14 hits, half of them for extra bases. “That was the best seasoned softball I’ve seen anyone play so far.”

Washington had seven hits, including a grand slam home run by Tajsia Herron, in an eight-run first inning, that also featured a double and triple.

Neer said the Golden Eagles knew what they were up against heading into the contest.

“We had a scouting report going into this week. We knew what we were going to see, so our main focus leading up to today was outfield communication,” Neer said. “We pretty much made every practice about outfielders this week, getting them the reps that we knew they were going to see, and unfortunately we couldn’t fight back much today. They were a great team and very good hitters all the way through the lineup.”

The Warriors added three more extra-base hits on the way to scoring seven more runs in the second inning.

The Golden Eagles put runners in scoring position in both the first and second innings.

Kylee Hoffman led off the Central first inning with a double right inside the first-base line.

“Coach always asks me, being leadoff, she always asks what my game plan is going up to bat and I really like a low outside pitch,” Hoffman said. “My plan of attack every time is if I see that ball, I’m going to put my bat to it.”

Hoffman soon got the pitch she was looking for.

“I got a little excited on the first pitch, swung and missed,” Hoffman said, “but I saw my pitch coming next and I did just that, put my bat to it.”

Hoffman, who was stranded at third base, later came in to pitch in the third inning and retired the potent Washington lineup in order, striking our a pair of batters.

“I think I was really trying to set myself up, working low and then coming high,” Hoffman said, “or if I noticed they were under a high ball, throwing them something again, just really watching how they were hitting, and then kind of working and basing off of what I was going to pitch next.”

Addison Ward had Central’s other hit and advanced to second base on a passed ball in the bottom of the second inning. The junior said she was watching Washington pitcher Madelyn Mescher before coming to the plate.

“I noticed from the girls that were hitting before me, just like standing behind their catcher and watching, I knew she was throwing really fast,” Ward said, “so I knew that I was going to have to have quick short swings, and get on top of that ball real quick.”

Ward said she had to change her hitting style a bit when facing a pitcher with higher velocity like Mescher.

“If it’s a slower pitcher, I tell myself just have a little more patience, and with her it was kind of like just go all out,” Ward said, “because the ball is going to meet the bat at some point and you don’t really want to wait on a pitch that’s that fast from her.”

Defensively, the Golden Eagles were able to come up with several solid plays during the contest.

“There were definitely some good takeaways,” Neer said. “We had some good dives in the field. We’ve been working on diving at practices.”

One of those stellar plays took place when second-baseman Ayrlie Waldo halted a wicked smash and turned it into a putout at first base.

“Waldo, she’s an amazing player, she’s very quick on her feet. She knows her angles,” Ward said. “I think as a team we can even feel that we’re just better together. It’s really cool to watch your teammates right next to you make a great play, when you know last year we weren’t making those.”

The Golden Eagles get another chance at a Sioux Falls squad today when they play at Sioux Falls Roosevelt.

Sioux Falls Washington 870 – 15 14 0

Aberdeen Central 000 – 0 2 0

Madelyn Mescher and Isabel Carda; Kaylee Kiesow, Kylee Hoffman (3) and Reese Comstock, Kylee Dixon (3). 2B – Sioux Falls Washington, Emily Akkerman, Tierney Schramm, Tajsia Herron, Mescher; Aberdeen Central, Kylee Hoffman. 3B – Sioux Falls Washington, Jolissa Hanson. HR – Sioux Falls Washington, Carda, Herron.