Columbia’s Aryn Henke bunts for a base hit during a March 17 victory over Piasa Southwestern. (Corey Saathoff photo)

The high school softball season has begun with one local team continuing its winning ways and another putting up some surprising offensive numbers.

Columbia is off to a 5-0 start to its spring following three more wins last week.

In their 16-2 victory on Friday, the Eagles led 12-1 after two innings. Keeler van Breusegen went 5-for-5 with four RBIs on the day and Whitney Edwards added two hits and two RBIs. 

Mikaela Kossina picked up the pitching win and helped her own cause with two hits at the plate.

On Thursday, Columbia picked up an 8-5 win over Mascoutah. Kossina went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs, with Aryn Henke, Lexi Touchette and van Breusegen also collecting two hits each.

Kaelyn Rheinecker struck out nine over seven solid innings in the pitching circle.

Last Wednesday, the Eagles soared to a 15-0 win over Wood River. Touchette went 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs. Chelsy Pena added a home run and three RBIs, and van Breusegen smacked two doubles.

Kossina allowed just one hit in the short-game victory.

Henke leads the potent Eagles offense with a .750 average, eight RBIs and seven runs. Kossina is hitting .625 with seven RBIs and is 3-0 in the pitching circle with a 2.19 ERA. van Breusegen is hitting .619 with 10 RBIs.

Weather permitting, Columbia hosts Marquette on Wednesday, followed by games at Freeburg on Thursday and at Waterloo on Friday.

In search of its first winning season in several years, Valmeyer is 2-2 so far this spring. 

Last Wednesday, the Pirates busted out the bats in a 23-4 blasting of Okawville.

Cierra Goldschmidt went 6-for-6 with six runs. Guin Kohnz went 5-for-6 with five RBIs. Lilly Schlemmer went 4-for-5 with three triples and seven RBIs.

Chelsea Hooker added four hits and four runs. She leads the team in hitting this spring at .800 with seven RBIs and nine runs.

Goldschmidt and Kohnz are each hitting .563. Schlemmer is hitting .500 with 11 RBIs.

Valmeyer hosts Freeburg on Friday.

Waterloo is 1-3 on the young season following losses to Belleville East on Thursday and O’Fallon last Wednesday.

Tyler Kaufmann went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Taylor Wilson and Emily Unser collected two hits each in the 9-5 loss to Belleville East.

Wilson had two more hits, and Taylor Downen added two hits in the 5-1 loss to O’Fallon.

Wilson is hitting .571 to lead the Bulldogs this spring, followed by Downen at .429 and Lindsey Merritt at .417.

Merritt is 1-2 in the pitching circle with a 4.28 ERA.

Waterloo hosts New Athens on Wednesday, hosts rival Columbia on Friday, and plays at Freeburg on Monday.

Gibault picked up a 15-0 win over Cahokia on Thursday, marking the first victory for new head coach Kathy Bernal.

Sidney Wightman allowed just one hit in the short-game win while collecting two hits at the plate.

Lexi Poepper had a double, triple and four RBIs, with Ashlyn Wightman and Meagan Bernal also adding two hits each.

Gibault plays at Belleville West on Wednesday and will be at Althoff on Saturday.

A rebuilding Dupo squad is 0-4 on the season, but hasn’t played since March 17.

Kenzie Kloess leads the Tigers with a .600 average and four RBIs. Cameron Foster and Reagan Carner are each hitting .500. 

Dupo is scheduled to play Wood River on Thursday and play at New Athens this coming Tuesday.