The Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) softball team ran its record to 22-0 overall and 4-0 in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) after sweeping a doubleheader from Ellsworth Community College (ECC) April 5 at Creston.
The games were moved to Creston after inclement weather made the DMACC softball diamond unplayable.
DMACC defeated the Panthers by scores of 10-0 and 16-0. Both games were called because of the mercy rule after ECC batted in the top of the fifth inning.
Freshman Molly Jacobsen of Adel tossed another no-hitter and struck out 12 of the 15 batters she faced in winning the opener. Jacobsen, who improved to 10-0 for the season, threw 64 pitches, including 48 strikes.
Sophomore Bailey Richards of Des Moines paced the Bears at the plate with a home run and two runs batted in. Freshman Mia Ruther of Burlington had three hits and sophomore Taylor Briley of Creston collected two hits. Jacobsen and freshman Jayci Vos of Monroe joined Richards with two RBIs apiece in the win.
DMACC led 1-0 after the first inning and put the game away with six runs in the second and three in the third.
Freshman Taylor Graven of Greene pitched three innings of hitless softball and freshman Peyton Parker of La Porte City allowed just one hit over two innings as DMACC got the win in the second game. Graven struck out two batters and walked two and Parker recorded three strikeouts in her two innings of work.
Briley paced DMACC's 15-hit attack with three hits, including a triple, and three RBIs and freshman Avery Guy of Cedar Rapids, Richards and freshman Kelsey Hora of Ainsworth had two hits apiece. Freshmen Kaisha Wells of Topeka, Kan., and Ellie Dixon of Iowa City drove in two runs apiece.
DMACC scored in each of the four innings it sent batters to the plate. The Bears got four runs in the first, seven in the second, three in the third and two in the fourth.
The DMACC softball team, ranked second in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II poll, will face Northeast (Neb.) Community College (NECC) April 8 at Austin, Minn. DMACC defeated NECC by scores of 11-0 and 11-2 when the two teams played March 30 at the DMACC softball diamond.