• Bears win the opener, 2-1, pushing their winning streak to 18 games
• Iowa Lakes ends the streak with a 9-6 win in the second game
• Freshman Delaney Kelley of Rock Island, Ill., homers for DMACC in the opener and freshman Jada Collins of Des Moines homers in the second game

The DMACC softball team pushed its winning streak to 18 games with a 2-1 victory over Iowa Lakes Community College (ILCC) in the first game of a doubleheader April 20 at Estherville. ILCC ended the streak with a 9-6 decision in the second game.

The split give the Bears a 34-11 overall record and a 24-4 mark in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC).

Freshman Delaney Kelley of Rock Island, Ill., hit a solo home run and freshman Haley Forret of Van Meter had a pair of base hits for DMACC in the opener. ILCC took a 1-0 lead in the second inning and the Bears tied it with a run in the top of the fifth. They added another run in the sixth to come away with the win.

Freshman Abby Flanagan of Coggon threw all seven innings and fell to 10-5 with the loss. She allowed one run on four hits and struck out nine.

DMACC, ranked third in the most recent Division II poll from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA),  took a 3-0 lead with three runs in the top of the second in the second game, but ILCC responded with four runs in the bottom of the inning and then padded its lead with three runs in the fourth and two in the fifth. The Bears rallied with three runs in the top of the seventh but got no closer.

Freshmen Sophie Maras of Johnston and Jada Collins of Des Moines led the Bears with two hits apiece, including a double by Maras and a home run from Collins. Freshman Zoey Wright of Ottumwa had a double for DMACC. Maras drove in a pair of runs and Kelley, Collins and freshmen Alexis Lander of Onawa and Kamrin Wells of Topeka, Kan., drove in one run apiece.

Lander pitched an inning and two-thirds and fell 13-3 with the loss. She allowed four runs on five hits, struck out three and walked two. Freshman Ellie Jacobson of Humboldt went four and a third innings, allowing five runs on nine hits. She struck out five batters.

The DMACC softball team will play a doubleheader against Southwestern Community College (SWCC) April 21 at the DMACC softball diamond. SWCC is 20-25-1 overall and 13-17 in the ICCAC. The Spartans dropped 9-5 and 10-0 decisions to DMACC when the two teams played April 14 at Creston.