
- Bears sweep Northern Oklahoma-Enid on February 27
- DMACC takes two from Clarendon College on February 28
- Bears will face Iowa Western Community College on March 6
The DMACC softball team stayed unbeaten for the 2022 season by winning a pair of doubleheaders February 26 and 27 at Enid, Okla.
The Bears, ranked fourth in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II preseason poll, defeated Northern Oklahoma College-Enid (NOCE) by scores of 6-3 and 8-1 on Feb. 26 and handed Clarendon College (CC) 17-1 and 11-3 losses on Feb. 27.
The wins extended DMACC's 2022 record to 9-0.
Freshman Madison Kearns of Glenpool, Okla., had a pair of hits, including a home run, and drove in two runs to lead the Bears past NOCE in the opener on Feb. 26. Freshman Kendal Clark of Humboldt also homered and drove in a pair of runs in the win and sophomore Jada Collins of Des Moines added a double.
The Bears took a 3-0 lead with a run in the top of the third and two in the top of the fourth but NOCE tied it with three runs in the bottom of the fourth. DMACC put the game away with two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth.
Freshman Emma Dighton of Boone picked up her second win of the season, allowing three runs and four hits over four innings. She also walked one batter. Sophomore Ellie Jacobson of Humboldt went two innings, striking out four and walking two, and freshman Sydney Kennedy of Peosta earned her second save of the season, working one inning, striking out one batter and walking one.
Sophomore Abby Husak of Polk City had three hits, including a double, and Collins drove in four runs with a double and a home run in DMACC's win in the second game. Sophomore Sami Miller of Mason City also had two hits in the win, and sophomore Delaney Kelley of Rock Island, Ill., drove in two runs.
DMACC led 3-0 after three innings and 4-1 after five innings before putting the game away with four runs in the top of the seventh.
Sophomore Lexi Lander of Onawa improved to 2-0 with the win. She allowed one run on four hits and struck out three. Sophomore Abby Flanagan of Coggon threw two innings of hitless ball and struck out three and Kennedy got the save, striking out two in one inning of work.
Kearns accounted for two of five home runs DMACC hit in its first win over CC on Feb. 27. Clark, freshman Zoey Hightshoe of Boone and Kennedy also homered in the win and Kearns and Collins belted one triple and one double each. Kearns had three hits and Collins, Clark and Hightshoe had two apiece. Kearns drove in five runs, Kennedy had four RBIs and Hightshoe drove in two runs.
DMACC led 2-1 after three innings and put the game out of reach with five runs in the fourth, one in the fifth and nine in the sixth. The game was called because of the mercy rule after CC batted in the bottom of the sixth.
Jacobson improved to 2-0 with the win. She allowed one run on three hits, struck out four and walked two. Dighton went two innings and allowed one hit with three strikeouts and Kennedy struck out two in one inning.
Miller had three hits, including a home run and a triple, and drove in a pair of runs as DMACC closed out the trip with its win in the nightcap on Feb. 27. Husak, Kelley and Dighton had two hits apiece, including a home run by Dighton and a triple from Kelley. Kearns, Kelley, Hightshoe and sophomore Layney Loyd of New London each doubled. Kelley and Dighton joined Miller with two RBIs each.
DMACC took a 5-0 lead in the first and added single runs in the second and third and two each in the bottom of the fifth and sixth when the game was called because of the mercy rule.
Flanagan ran her record to 3-0 with the win. She went three innings and struck out four. Lander pitched two innings, allowing three runs on three hits and striking out four and Kennedy recorded one strikeout in one inning of work.
The DMACC softball team is idle until March 6 when the Bears will travel to Council Bluffs to play Iowa Western Community College (IWCC). The Reivers, an NJCAA Division I program, are 13-5.