• DMACC drops opener on March 26 and then take the next three games
• Bears have won five of their last six games
• DMACC gets 27 hits in sweeping doubleheader on March 28

The DMACC baseball team improved to 10-12 overall and 6-4 in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) after winning three of four games against North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) on March 26 and 28 at Mason City.

The Bears lost the opener on March 26, 9-2, but responded with victories in the last three games, including sweeping a doubleheader on March 28. They won the nightcap on March 26, 5-1, and took 10-7 and 9-4 decisions on March 28, pounding out 27 hits in the two games. DMACC has won five of its last six games.

NIACC used a five-run first inning to come away with the win in the opener on March 26. DMACC made it a 5-2 game with two runs in the top of the third, but the Trojans pulled away on a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning and one run in each of the fourth and sixth innings.

Freshmen Carter Bornemeier of Elmwood, Neb., and Brett Berg of Des Moines paced DMACC's six-hit attack with two hits apiece, including a double by Berg. Freshman Jake Thilges of Johnston drove in one run for the Bears.

Freshman Jacob Draeger of Johnston started on the mound for DMACC and took the loss after working just one inning. He allow five runs on three hits, struck out one batter and walked four. Freshman Blake Grevengoed of Wes Des Moines pitched two innings, allowing two runs on two hits. He struck out two and walked three. Freshman Bret Price of Boone went three innings, allowing two runs on one hit with three strikeouts and four walks.

DMACC scored single runs in the second, fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth innings to win the second game. The Bears had just four hits, including a double by Bornemeier and got two runs batted in from freshman Tre Mungin of Omaha, Neb., and one RBI apiece from freshmen Cadyn Schwabe of Thompson, N.D., and Ben Nippolt of St. Paul, Minn.

Freshman Anthony Potthoff of Van Meter pitched the first seven innings and improved to 1-1 with the win. He allowed three hits, struck out nine and walked two. Freshman Greg Ryun of Victoria, Minn., went a third of an inning, allowing one run with one strikeout and three walks and freshman Cade Van Ness of Glenwood got the save behind an inning and two-thirds on the mound. He allowed one hit and struck out three batters.

Berg, freshman Jackson Fisher of Chariton, sophomore Kaleb Harrison of Neola and freshman Kyle Westhoff of West Des Moines had two hits apiece and Nippolt drove in three runs as DMACC took the opener on March 28. The Bears led 5-1 after three innings and padded their advantage with three runs in the top of the fifth and two in the top of the sixth. NIACC, which scored its first run in the second, made it close with a six-run rally in the bottom of the seventh. Fisher hit a solo home run for the Bears and Westhoff had a pair of RBIs.

Sophomore Hayden Thompson of Maple Grove, Minn., pitched five and a third innings for DMACC and earned the win, his second of the season against one loss. He allowed one run on three hits, struck out eight and walked five. Freshman Jackob Norris of North Liberty went one inning, allowing four runs on one hit with one strikeout and two walks and freshman Ben Dixon of Sioux City pitched two-thirds of an inning and gave up two runs on one hit. He struck out one batter.

Bornemeier and Berg had three hits apiece, including a double by Berg, and Schwabe, Thilges and Mungin collected two hits each in DMACC's win in the second game. The Bears scored one run in the first, three in the second, four in the fourth and one in the sixth and NIACC scored twice in the fourth and once each in the eighth and ninth innings. Schwabe, Thilges, Harrison and Westhoff drove in one run apiece.

Freshman Nick Crandell of Johnston pitched eight and a third innings and got his first win of the season against two losses. He allowed four runs on nine hits and struck out nine. Ryun went two-thirds of an inning, striking out one batter and walking one.

The DMACC baseball team will play a doubleheader against Marshalltown Community College (MCC) March 31 at the DMACC baseball diamond, beginning at 1 p.m. MCC is 6-12 overall and 3-7 in conference play.