Bears Complete Undefeated Regular Season and Maintains No. 1 National Ranking

Photo by Caree Severson
Photo by Caree Severson

The Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) softball team completed its first ever undefeated regular season and maintained its No. 1 national ranking in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II poll with doubleheader sweeps of Iowa Lakes Community College (ILCC) and North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) on April 28 and 29.

 

The Bears belted six home runs, including four by freshman Morgan Nealey of Urbandale, in beating ILCC by identical 15-0 scores on April 28 at Estherville. Sophomore Molly Jacobsen of Adel threw her seventh no-hitter of the season as DMACC defeated NIACC by scores of 13-0 and 9-1 on April 29 at Mason City.

 

Nealey hit two home runs and Jacobsen and freshman Kaisha Wells of Topeka, Kan., belted one apiece in DMACC's win in the opener against ILCC. The Bears took a 4-0 lead in the first inning, scored nine runs in the second and put the game away with two runs in the fourth. The game was called because of the mercy rule after ILCC batted in the bottom of the fifth.

 

Jacobsen, who threw a one-hitter and struck out 11, had three hits in the game and Nealey, Wells and freshman Mia Ruther of Burlington had two hits apiece. Nealey drove in five runs and Jacobsen, Wells and freshman Kelsey Hora of Ainsworth drove in two runs each.

 

Nealey, Wells and sophomore Bre Hunter of Boone hit two home runs apiece as DMACC took the second game, also in five innings. The Bears scored in every inning, getting three in the first, three in the second, two in the third, four in the fourth and three in the fifth.

 

Wells paced DMACC's 13-hit attack with three hits and Nealey, Hunter, sophomore Bailey Richards of Des Moines and freshman Jayci Vos of Monroe had two hits apiece. Hunter drove in four runs, Nealey collected three RBIs and Wells and freshman Ellie Dixon of Iowa City had two RBIs apiece.

 

Sophomore Gabby Schnathorst of Carlisle allowed two hits and struck out eight to get the win.

Jacobsen's seventh no-hitter of the season came in the opener against NIACC, 13-0. She improved to 20-0 for the season, facing 17 batters in the five-inning game, striking out 11 and walking two.

 

Nealey drove in five runs on four hits as DMACC in the win.

 

The Bears gave Jacobsen all the runs she needed in the first inning when they scored twice and then put the game out of reach with six runs in the fourth and fifth in the fifth.

 

Ruther and Richards had two hits apiece in the win and Richards drove in three runs.

 

Hunter had three hits and Nealey and freshman Katelin Schumacher of Leawood, Kan., drove in two runs apiece as DMACC took the second game, 5-1. The Bears led 4-0 after the first inning, 4-1 after two innings and closed out the win with a run in the fourth.

 

Sophomore Gabby Schnathorst of Carlisle pitched the first three innings and recorded her tenth win of the season on a two-hitter. The lone run she allowed was unearned and she struck out two and walked one. Freshman Peyton Parker of LaPorte City pitched one inning and struck out one batter and freshman Taylor Graven of Greene threw the final inning, allowing one hit, striking out one batter and walking one.

 

The DMACC softball team will be the No. 1 seed in the NJCAA Region XI-A Division II Softball Tournament slated to begin May 4 at the DMACC softball diamond. Pairings for the tournament will be announced when they become available.