Pinch runner Ryanna Bales, a sophomore from Mason City, scored from second base on an error in the bottom of seventh to give the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) softball team a come-from-behind 6-5 win over Iowa Central Community College (ICCC) in the second game of a doubleheader April 5 at the DMACC softball diamond.
The Bears, ranked eighth in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II poll, also won the opener, 7-1, and stand 23-5 overall and 8-0 in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC).
DMACC trailed twice before winning the second game. The Bears were down 1-0 after the first inning and 4-2 after five innings, but gained a 5-4 advantage after scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth. ICCC, ranked 15th in NJCAA Division II, tied the game with a run in the top of the seventh before DMACC came away with the win.
Bales was running for freshman Abby Gehringer of Indianola, who began the DMACC seventh with a double. Sophomore Megan Rushing of West Des Moines followed with a sacrifice bunt and Bales came around to score on an error by ICCC third baseman Sonya McCormick.
Gehringer, who doubled twice in the game, was the only DMACC player with more than one hit. Freshman Bre Hunter of Boone drove in a pair of runs for the Bears and Rushing and freshmen Taylor Briley of Creston and Molly Jacobsen of Adel drove in one run apiece.
Sophomore Ashley Sicard of Ackley pitched the first six innings, allowing five runs on nine hits. She struck out three and walked two. Freshman Autumn McDanel of Moravia pitched the seventh inning and picked up her second win of the season against one loss. McDanel struck out one batter.
Sophomore Kerigan Torres of Des Moines sparked the Bears to their win in the opener, collecting three base hits and driving in two runs. Gehringer and sophomores Kenzi Sutton of Adel and Taylor Creason of Lee’s Summit, Mo., had two hits apiece and Sutton, Creason, Jacobsen and sophomore Claire Dudek of Urbandale drove in one run apiece. DMACC took a 1-0 lead in the second and never looked back. The Bears