- DMACC winning streak reaches 17 consecutive games
- Freshman Sophie Maras of Johnston collects nine hits and drives in 10 runs in the four games
- DMACC freshman Alexis Lander of Onawa wins her 13th game of the season and freshmen Ellie Jacobson of Humboldt and Abby Flanagan of Coggon each get their 10th win
The DMACC softball team ran its winning streak to 17 straight games and improved to 33-10 for the season and 23-3 in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) with a four-game sweep of Ellsworth Community College (ECC) April 17 and 18 at the DMACC softball team.
The Bears, ranked fifth in the most recent Division II poll from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), took both games of a doubleheader on April 17, 7-2 and 9-1 and repeated that feat on April 18, coming away with 11-3 and 12-4 decisions. The opener on April 17 was the only game that went seven innings. DMACC took the second game on the 17th and the opener on the 18th in five innings and ended the final game of the series with a four-run rally in the bottom of the sixth.
Sophomore Sophie Maras of Johnston led the Bears with nine hits in the four games, including two home runs, two triples and two doubles. She scored nine runs and drove in 10 runs. Maras leads the ICCAC in hitting, home runs, runs batted in and stolen bases. She is batting .579 with 24 home runs and 72 RBIs and she has stolen 40 bases.
DMACC scored three runs in the third and four in the fifth to get a 7-2 win in the opener on April 17. Freshman Delaney Kelley of Rock Island, Ill., led the Bears with a pair of hits and two RBIs. Maras and freshman Kaylie Reynolds of Muscatine hit home runs and Reynolds drove in three DMACC runs. Reynolds is fourth in the ICCAC in home runs with 16 and fourth in RBIs with 56.
Freshman Ellie Jacobson of Humboldt improved to 9-4 with the win. She allowed one run on eight hits, struck out four and walked one. Freshman Alexis Lander of Onawa pitched two innings, allowing one run on one hit. She struck out four and walked two.
Freshmen Abby Husak of Polk City had three hits and Maras and freshman Tricia Sporaa of Madrid had two apiece in DMACC's 9-1 win in the second game. The Bears tied the contest 1-1 with a run in the bottom of the first, then tallied three runs in the second, one in the third and four in the fourth to come away with the win.
Sporaa and freshman Jada Collins of Des Moines each doubled and Maras recorded a triple. Husak and Sporaa drove in two runs apiece for the Bears.
Freshman Abby Flanagan of Coggon ran her record to 10-4 with the win. She allowed one run on four hits, struck out five and walked two.
Maras went 4-for-4 with a double and a triple and three RBIs in leading DMACC to an 11-3 win in the first game on April 18. The Bears led 3-1 after the first inning, 7-1 after two innings and 10-3 after four innings. They closed out the game with a run in the bottom of the fifth.
Kelley and freshman Haley Forret of Van Meter had two hits apiece in the win, including a double and a home run from Kelley and a double by Forret, and each drove in three runs. Collins had one hit and drove in two runs.
Lander notched her 13th win of the season against two losses. She allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out two batters.
Maras, Collins and freshman Layney Loyd of New London each homered and Maras came away with four RBIs as DMACC closed out the series with an 12-4 win on April 18. The Bears took a 5-0 lead in the second inning and made it 7-0 with two runs in the third. ECC put together a four-run rally in the top of the fifth to close to 7-4 but DMACC added a run in the bottom of the inning and then ended the game with four runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Maras, Kelley, Collins and freshmen Sami Miller of Mason City and Karmin Wells of Topeka, Kan., each doubled in the win and Collins and Loyd drove in two runs apiece.
Jacobson improved to 10-4 with the win. She went four and a third innings, allowing four runs in six hits with five strikeouts and two walks. Flanagan pitched an inning and two-thirds and picked up her first save of the season. She struck out two batters and walked one.
The DMACC softball team will play a doubleheader against Iowa Lakes Community College (ILCC) April 20 at Estherville. The Lakers are 18-10 overall and 18-8 in the ICCAC.
