- DMACC defeats East Mississippi CC, Northwest Mississippi CC, Itawamba CC and Jones College
- DMACC losses are to Northeast Mississippi CC and Northwest Mississippi CC
- Bears face Iowa Western CC in next outing
The DMACC softball team compiled a 4-2 record on its final three days of a road trip to Mississippi to improve to 8-4 for the season.
DMACC, ranked 11th in the most recent Division II poll from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), defeated East Mississippi Community College (EMCC), 8-6, and lost to Northeast Mississippi Community College (NEMCC), 3-1 on March 1. On March 2, the Bears dropped a 7-5 decision to Northwest Mississippi Community College (NWMCC) and then rebounded with a 5-1 win against NEMCC. They concluded the trip with wins over Itawamba Community College (ICC), 5-3, and Jones College (JC), 1-0 in eight innings on March 3.
Sophomore Elle Nelson of Grimes had three hits and freshman Hilary Wilson of Solon had two hits and three runs batted in as DMACC topped EMCC in the opener of March 1. Freshman Delaney Milanowski of Spring Green, Wis., also had two hits in the win and freshman Mia Trewin of Waukee had one hit and drove in three runs. Extra-base hits included two doubles each by Nelson and Milanowski and one from Trewin.
DMACC tied the game with a run in the top of the second and then took the lead for good with five runs in the top of the fourth. The Bears scored their final two runs in the sixth and EMCC tallied three runs in the sixth and two in the seventh.
Sophomore Kinsley Robertson of Tiffin improved to 2-1 with the win. She went six innings, allowing five runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts and a walk. Sophomore Grace Bailey of Hamilton pitched a third of an inning and allowed one run on one hit with one strikeout and one walk and freshman Ellie Flanagan of Coggon earned her first save of the season behind two-thirds of an inning in the circle. She struck out one batter.
Nelson had two hits and freshman Kyleia Salyars of Muscatine doubled and drove in the Bears' only run in the 3-1 loss to NEMCC in the second game on March 1. The Bears scored their lone run in the top of the first and NEMCC, ranked 11th in the NJCAA Division II poll, scored its three runs in the bottom of the third.
Sophomore Lauryn Foudree of West Des Moines fell to 0-1 with the loss. She went six innings, allowing three runs on six hits with 10 strikeouts and three walks.
Nelson and sophomore Campbell Kelley of Rock Island, Ill., had three hits apiece and Kelley drove in three runs in DMACC's 7-5 loss to NWMCC on March 2. The Bears, who also got a pair of hits from sophomore Kelsey Palmer of Cedar Rapids, led 2-1 after three innings but NWMCC, the No. 6 team in NJCAA Division II, took a 4-2 lead with three runs in the top of the fourth and then scored twice in the sixth and once in the seventh while DMACC came away with three runs in the bottom of the seventh.
Flanagan fell to 0-1 with the loss. She went three and a third innings, allowing four runs on four hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Freshman Maura Chalupa of Muscatine pitched the final three and two-thirds innings, allowing three runs on three hits with four strikeouts and two walks.
Freshman Josie McCuddin of Truro keyed a four-run fifth inning with a two-run home run as DMACC started what is now a three-game winning streak with a 5-1 decision against NEMCC in the second game on March 2. The two teams were tied 1-1 after three innings before DMACC got the win behind its fifth-inning rally.
Sophomore Courtney Donahue of Marshfield, Wis., improved to 3-1 with the win and helped her own cause with a pair of hits, including a double. She threw all seven innings, allowing one run on two hits with 11 strikeouts.
The Bears trailed 2-1 after the first inning of their win over ICC on March 3 and got the win with a run in the top of the fourth and three runs in the top of the fifth. ICC scored twice in the first and added a run in the fifth.
DMACC collected 13 hits in the win and was led by Palmer, who had two singles and a double. Salyars, Kelley, Trewin and sophomore Bella Nelson of Gilbert had two hits apiece, including a triple by Nelson.
Robertson improved to 3-1 with the win and led the Bears in RBIs with two. She pitched six innings, allowing three runs on six hits with four strikeouts. Foudree got the save, retiring all three batters she faced in the seventh inning.
Kelley's RBI single in the top of the eighth scored Elle Nelson as DMACC handed JC a 1-0 loss in the second game on March 3. Nelson began the inning at second base and moved to third on an infield grounder by sophomore Hannah Ironside of Swisher.
DMACC came away with just two hits in the win with Donahue, the winning pitcher, also getting a hit.
Donahue allowed just one hit in running her record to 4-1. She struck out 13 batters and issued two walks.
The DMACC softball team is idle until March 10 when the Bears travel to Council Bluffs to play a doubleheader against Iowa Western Community College (IWCC). The Reivers are 13-9 for the season.