Clermont, FL—The Marshalltown Community College Softball team wrapped up play at THE Spring Games at Legends Way Ballfields on Thursday, winning three of the team's final four games. MCC finished the trip with a 9-4 record and are now 11-4 overall.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Tigers posted a season-best run total after rolling over Dakota County Technical College 18-7. MCC split the day with a loss to Waubonsee Community College 8-3. On Thursday, the team's final day of play on their southern trip, the Tigers dropped Cuyahoga Community College 8-5 before winning the finale 6-4 over Anderson University JV.
The Tigers are off to their best start since 2012 when the team also opened up with an 11-4 record.
In Wednesday's opener against Dakota County, runs were plentiful as the Tigers scored at least one run in each of the first four innings, including four runs in the first and six more in the second. MCC added extra run support with a five-run seventh inning as the game was never in doubt.
Lauren Wolfe (Miles City, MT/Custer County) went 4-5 at the plate in the win with four runs scored. Sarah Ghee (Carlisle, IA/Carlisle) added three hits and four RBI while Raini Hilmer (Dysart, IA/Union) went 3-5 with a grand slam and five RBI. Taylor Anderson (San Antonio, TX/Churchill) scored two runs and added a double for MCC. Kari Smith (Marshalltown, IA/Marshalltown) also added a pair of hits. Jordan Carter (Sigourney, IA/Sigourney) tossed six innings of relief to earn the win in the circle.
The Tigers fell late to Waubonsee despite holding a 3-1 lead through five innings. Rieley Rodman (Ankeny, IA/Grand View Christian) doubled and scored in the fourth while Tess Cheetham (Oceanside, CA/Oceanside) and Carter both doubled and scored in the fifth.
Carter finished the game 2-3 at the plate. Freshman Paige Taylor (Coquitlam, British Columbia/Terry Fox) struck out seven batters in seven innings of work in the circle.
Looking to close out the trip on the right foot, the Tigers jumped out to a 3-2 lead over Cuyahoga through four innings. The Challengers tied the game at three with a run in the bottom of the fifth, but the MCC bats woke up in the sixth inning. Samuari Jones (Louisville, KY/Seneca), Lexie Valentine (Des Moines, IA/Saydel), Wolfe, Courtney Fudge (Pleasant Hill, IA/Des Moines East) and Ghee all reached base and scored in the frame for the Tigers to pull away for the win.
Ghee paced the offense for the Tigers with a career-high four hits in four at bats, including a triple. The sophomore also drove in three runs and scored another. Carter struck out a pair of batters in five innings to improve to 5-0 in the circle on the year. Taylor tossed two innings of relief, allowing just one hit while striking out three batters.
The offense continued to roll in the final game of the trip against Anderson JV as MCC scored all six runs through the first two innings of play. Anderson JV scored a pair of runs in both the fourth and sixth innings, but the combination of Taylor and Carter teamed up again to earn another win.
Taylor got the start and struck out eight batters while allowing just two hits in five innings to earn her fourth win of the year. Carter struck out three batters in two innings, earning the save. Fudge, Hilmer, and Valentine all collected two hits in the win. Lexie Larson (Des Moines, IA/Hoover) also went 1-2 at the plate for the Tigers.
Ghee led the Tiger offense throughout the trip, batting .487 (20-41), including five extra base hits on the week while adding 10 RBI and 11 runs. The sophomore ranks second in the Iowa Community College with a .468 batting average on the year. Hilmer also had a strong Florida trip for the Tigers, leading the team with three home runs while adding 11 RBI and nine runs scored. Wolfe had a hit in all but two games of the team's 13 contests on the trip.
Taylor struck out 57 batters in 46 innings in Florida and ranks second in the ICCAC with 62 punch-outs on the year. Carter appeared in eight games and won five decisions with one save after posting a 2.49 earned run average throughout the trip. Freshman Josie Carpenter (Wapello, IA/Wapello) caught two of the final three wins behind the plate for the Tigers.
Next up for the Tigers is the team's home opener with a doubleheader against Ellsworth Community College at 3:00 PM on March 22.
