Sophomore Molly Jacobsen of Adel tossed a two-hit shutout in the opener and freshman Kaisha Wells had a pair of hits and drove in three runs in the nightcap to lead the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) past Kirkwood Community College (KCC) in a matchup of ranked teams April 11 at Cedar Rapids.
DMACC, which won by scores of 6-0 and 9-7, entered the doubleheader ranked first in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II poll. Kirkwood came in at No. 2. The Bears improved to 26-0 overall and 8-0 in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) with the wins. KCC fell to 29-5 and 6-2.
Jacobsen threw 91 pitches, including 60 strikes as she improved to 12-0 for the season. She faced 22 batters and struck out seven.
Freshman Morgan Nealey of Urbandale had a pair of base hits, including a solo home run, to provide Jacobsen with all the runs she needed. The Bears scored single runs in the second and third innings, added a pair of runs in the fourth and closed out the win with two runs in the sixth. Sophomore Taylor Briley of Creston had two RBIs in the win.
DMACC used a three-run rally in the first and a six-run rally in the fourth to come away with the win in the second game. Freshman Mia Ruther of Burlington and sophomore Bre Hunter of Boone had three hits apiece, including a double and a triple by Hunter, who drove in two runs.
Freshman Taylor Graven of Greene started in the circle for DMACC and allowed two runs on three hits over three innings, She struck out two batters, walked one and earned the win. Freshman Peyton Parker of La Porte City worked two and two-thirds innings, allowing four runs on four hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Jacobsen relieved Parker with two outs in the bottom of the sixth after KCC had cut the deficit to 9-6. She pitched an inning and a third, allowing one run on two hits and struck out two batters to preserve the win.
The DMACC softball team will face Iowa Lakes Community College (ILCC) in a doubleheader today at the DMACC softball diamond. The Lakers are 11-17 overall and 2-6 in the ICCAC.