- Bears hand Ellsworth CC a pair of 9-1 losses
- DMACC tops Iowa Lakes CC by scores of 8-0 and 6-2
- Bears end regular season with a 12-game winning streak and 30 wins in their last 31 games
The DMACC softball team closed out the 2024-25 regular season with a pair of sweeps against Ellsworth Community College (ECC) and Iowa Lakes Community College (ILCC) April 26 and 27 at Iowa Falls and Estherville respectively.
The Bears, ranked fourth in the most recent Division II poll from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), handed ECC a pair of 9-1 losses and topped ILCC by scores of 8-0 and 9-2 to end the regular season at 50-5 overall and 26-2 in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC), clinching their first ICCAC regular-season championship since the 2021-22 season.
The wins over ECC and ILCC extended DMACC's current winning streak to 12 games and the Bears closed out the regular season with 30 wins in their last 31 games.
Freshman Jacki Baas of Bondurant pitched DMACC to its win in the opener against ECC, allowing one run on two hits with four strikeouts. The Bears led throughout the game, 1-0 after the first inning, 4-0 after two innings, 5-0 after three innings and 8-1 after four innings. They closed out the win with a run in the fifth and the game was called because of the mercy rule after ECC batted in the bottom of the fifth.
Freshman Erin Ades of Boone led DMACC with two hits, including a double, and three runs batted in. Sophomore Josie McCuddin of Truro had a pair of doubles and drove in two runs and sophomore Mia Walker of Fonda had one hit and drove in two runs.
Freshman Kierra Jungers of Fonda allowed one run on five hits with nine strikeouts and a walk in the Bears' win in the second game. They broke a 1-1 tie with two runs in the top of the sixth and closed out the win with six runs in the top of the seventh. Freshman Brooklyn Baumgardner of Slater pitched the seventh inning and retired all three batters she faced, one via a strikeout.
Ades was again DMACC's top hitter, collecting a single and a pair of doubles and driving in four runs. Freshmen Ella Husak of Polk City and Jasey Anderson of Estherville had two hits, including a triple by Anderson, who drove in one run. The Bears also got a double from Walker.
DMACC scored one run in each of the first five innings and three in the seventh in beating ILCC in the opener on April 27. Baas and sophomore Macy Blomgren of Waukee combined for a no-hitter in the win. Blomgren started and pitched the first four innings, striking out six and walking one. Baas went the last three innings, striking out five and walking one.
Freshman Macee Reilling of Dallas Center led the Bears at the plate with three hits, including a double, and two RBIs. Freshmen Mo Purdy of Des Moines and Bri Tigges of Urbandale belted solo home runs and Walker joined Reilling with two RBIs.
Reilling had four hits, all singles, and Anderson, Tigges and sophomore Hilary Wilson of Solon collected two hits apiece in DMACC's win in the second game. Extra-base hits included doubles by Tigges and Wilson and a triple from Anderson. Tigges and Reilling led the Bears in RBIs with two apiece.
Jungers pitched the first five innings and improved to 23-1 with the win. She allowed two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and a walk. Baumgardner went two innings, giving up two hits, striking out two and walking two.
The DMACC softball team will be the No. 1 seed in the Region 11A-Division II Softball Tournament May 2 to 4 at the DMACC softball diamond. The Bears will play eighth-seeded Hawkeye Community College (HCC) in the tournament semifinals at 2 p.m. on May 2. North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC), the No. 4 seed will face fifth-seeded ILCC in the other semifinal game at 4 p.m. on May 2. The double-elimination tournament will continue a championship bracket game and a consolation bracket game on May 3 and the championship game at noon on May 4. A second championship game, if necessary, will be played immediately following the first championship game.
The Region 11A winner will advance to the Northwest Plains District Tournament May 9 and 10 at the home of the Region 9 champion. The Northwest Plains District champion will advance to the 2025 NJCAA Division II Softball World Series May 19 to 24 at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Al.
The DMACC softball team will be seeking its 10th consecutive appearance in the national tournament and its 11th appearance in the past 12 seasons. The Bears garnered third place finishes in 2023, 2019, 2018 and 2014 and were fourth in 2015.