• Northeastern Oklahoma A&M wins by scores of 5-2 and 13-10
• Freshman Sophie Maras of Johnston leads the Bears with five hits, including a double and a home run and drives in four runs
• Freshman Jocelyn Long of Overland Park, Kan., has six hits and drives in one run

The DMACC softball team slipped to 8-7 for the season following a doubleheader loss to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (NEOAM) March 4 at Miami, Okla. NEOAM won by scores of 5-2 and 13-10.

Freshman Sophie Maras of Johnston continued her outstanding hitting with five hits in the two games, including a double and a home run and she drove in four runs. Freshman Jocelyn Long of Overland Park, Kan., had six hits and drove in one run and freshman Kaylie Reynolds of Muscatine belted a home run.

NEOAM took a 1-0 lead in the opener with a run in the bottom of the third. The Lady Norse pushed their advantage to 4-1 after DMACC tied the game with a run in the top of the fifth and they closed out the win with a run in the bottom of the sixth. DMACC made it a 5-2 game with a run in the top of the seventh.

Maras and Long led the Bears with three singles apiece and freshman Jada Collins of Des Moines added a double. Collins and freshman Sami Miller of Mason City drove in one run apiece.

Freshman Ellie Jacobson of Humboldt pitched four and a third innings, allowing four runs on six hits. She struck out three and walked one. Freshman Abby Flanagan of Coggon went an inning and two-thirds, allowing a run on two hits.

DMACC led by scores of 9-1 and 9-3 in the second game only to let those leads slip away as NEOAM scored nine runs over the fifth and sixth innings. The Lady Norse led 1-0 after the first inning but DMACC scored eight runs in the top of the second and added another run in the top of the third for a 9-1 advantage. NEOAM made it a 9-3 game with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third, then closed to 9-7 behind a run in the fourth and three in the fifth. DMACC went ahead 10-7 with a run in the sixth but NEOAM responded with six runs in the bottom of the inning to come away with the win.

Maras had two hits, a single and a home run, and drove in four runs. Long hit three singles and added an RBI and Reynolds hit a solo home run. Freshman Alexis Lander of Onawa collected two hits, including a double.

Lander pitched the first five innings, allowing five runs on five hits. She struck out two and walked one. Flanagan went a third of an inning, allowing two runs on two hits and Jacobson pitched two-thirds of an inning surrendering four runs on three hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Freshman Melissa Locke of Wright City, Mo., closed out the game with one inning in the circle. She gave up wo runs and struck out two batters. Six of the runs allowed by DMACC pitchers were unearned.

The DMACC softball team closes out a six-game road trip today with a doubleheader against Allen County Community College (ACCC) at Humboldt, Kan.