The Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) softball pitching staff combined to throw a pair of shutouts as the Bears swept a doubleheader from North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) April 6 at Mason City.
Freshmen Molly Jacobsen of Adel and Gabby Schnathorst of Carlisle pitched DMACC to a 13-0 win in the opener and sophomores Ashley Sicard of Ackley and Jade Petersen of Moville and freshman Autumn McDanel of Moravia were in the circle as the Bears took the second game, 21-0. Both games were called because of the mercy rule after NIACC batted in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The two victories give DMACC a 25-5 record and keep the Bears atop the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) at 10-0. DMACC began the day ranked eighth in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II poll.
Freshman Abby Gehringer of Indianola keyed DMACC’s attack in the opener with a pair of base hits, including a grand slam home run, and four runs batted in. Sophomores Kerigan Torres of Des Moines and Kenzi Sutton of Adel also had two hits apiece in the win and freshmen Cheyann Adamson of Riverside and Bailey Richards of Des Moines drove in two runs apiece.
DMACC broke a scoreless tie with nine runs in the top of the fourth and put the game out of reach with four runs in the top of the fifth.
Jacobsen pitched the first four innings and improved to 12-2 with the win. She allowed just one hit, struck out 10 and walked one. Schnathorst worked the fifth inning and struck out two batters.
Gehringer hit two home runs and drove in eight runs to lead the Bears in the second game. Sicard, Sutton and sophomore Megan Rushing of West Des Moines also homered in the win. Torres, Gehringer and freshman Taylor Briley of Creston had three hits apiece and Sutton, sophomore Taylor Creason of Lee’s Summit, Mo., Rushing and Sicard collected two hits apiece. Rushing drove in four DMACC runs, Sutton had three RBIs and Torres and Sicard drove in two runs apiece.