- DMACC SHUTS OUT Neosho County CC, 3-0 and 7-0
- Bears top Fort Scott CC, 8-4 and 6-2
- Sophomore Courtney Donahue strikes out 32 in two wins
The DMACC softball team ran its winning streak to 11 games after sweeping doubleheaders against Neosho County Community College (NCCC) and Fort Scott Community College (FSCC) March 14 and 15 at Chanute, Kan., and Fort Scott, Kan., respectively.
The wins give the Bears, ranked 12th in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II poll, a 16-4 record.
Sophomore Courtney Donahue of Marshfield, Wis., tossed a one-hitter and struck out 17 to lead the Bears past NCCC, 3-0, in the opener on March 14.
DMACC scored all the runs it needed in the first inning and all three runs came with two outs. Sophomore Elle Nelson of Grimes started the rally with a double and scored the first run on a base hit by sophomore Campbell Kelley of Rock Island, Ill. Freshman Josie McCuddin of Truro then homered to bring home the second and third runs.
Nelson and sophomore Kelsey Palmer of Cedar Rapids paced DMACC's 10-hit attack with two hits apiece and Donahue recorded a double.
Donahue improved to 7-1 with the win.
The Bears used single runs in the first and second innings, four in the sixth and one in the seventh to hand NCCC a 7-0 loss in the second game.
Freshman Breanna Caffery of Bettendorf gave DMACC a 1-0 lead when she doubled and scored on an error in the first inning. Freshman Delaney Milanowski of Spring Green, Wis., homered in the second inning to make it 2-0 and the Bears got run-scoring hits from Kelley, Donahue and Caffery in their four-run rally in the sixth. Nelson closed out the scoring when she doubled in the seventh and scored on a base hit by Kelley in the top of the seventh.
Kelley accounted for three of DMACC's 10 hits and Caffery and Palmer had two hits apiece.
Sophomore Lauryn Foudree of West Des Moines improved to 3-1 with the win. She allowed two hits, struck out seven and walked two.
Donahue allowed four runs on four hits, struck out 15 and walked two in getting her eighth win of the season in the opener against FSCC.
DMACC never trailed. The Bears took a 3-1 lead in the third and made it a 6-1 game with a run in the fourth and two in the sixth. They closed it out with two runs in the seventh and FSCC got to within four with three runs in the bottom of the seventh.
Kelley and McCuddin led DMACC at the plate with two hits apiece and McCuddin drove in three runs with Nelson getting two RBIs. Nelson hit a two-run home run in the third inning and sophomore Ceara Swanson of Lincoln, Neb., had a run-scoring double in the fourth inning.
McCuddin belted a solo home run and Nelson and Kelley drove in two runs apiece to lead DMACC to a 6-2 win in the second game. The Bears took a 2-0 lead in the first when sophomore Hannah Ironside of Swisher singled and scored on a double by Nelson came home on a single by Kelley. Ironside had an RBI single in the second to make it 3-0 and McCuddin got her home run in the fourth as the Bears opened up a 4-1 lead. Nelson drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh and Kelley added an RBI double.
Ironside paced DMACC at the plate with three hits and Caffery and Kelley had two apiece.
Sophomore Kinsley Robertson of Tiffin got the victory, her fourth against one loss. She allowed two runs on five hits and struck out seven.
The DMACC softball team will play a doubleheader against Southeastern Community College (SECC) March 20 at West Burlington. The Black Hawks, an NJCAA Division I program, are 12-8 this season.