Grinnell, IA—The Marshalltown Community College softball team defeated Grinnell College 10-7 in game one before falling to the Pioneers 4-3 on a walk-off base hit to split Sunday's doubleheader. The Tigers totaled 24 hits between the two games.
Sophomore Courtney Fudge (Pleasant Hill, IA/Des Moines East) recorded three of the team's seven extra base hits in game one. Freshman Shaena Robinson (Gardnerville, NV/Douglas) connected on her conference-leading 11th home run to power the offense to its fifth-straight victory.
The winning streak was snapped in game two as Grinnell College scored four runs in the final two innings to earn the split with the Tigers. Robinson and Dion Shirley (Van Meter, IA/Van Meter) each collected two hits in the loss.
The loss was just the second in six one-run ball games this year for the Tigers.
Robinson's home run came in the opening inning of game one to give the Tigers a quick 2-0 lead. Jordan Carter (Sigourney, IA/Sigourney) added a two-run triple in the second and an RBI-single from Josie Carpenter (Wapello, IA/Wapello) in the third scored Robinson for a 6-0 lead. Grinnell cut the deficit in half in the third, but a two-run double from Tess Cheetham (Oceanside, CA/Oceanside) was part of a three-run fourth inning to build a 9-3 lead.
An RBI-triple from Fudge capped the scoring in the seventh and Paige Taylor (Coquitlam, British Columbia/Terry Fox) closed out the win with a scoreless seventh for her third save of the year. Carter earned the win in the circle while also collecting three hits, two RBI, and two runs at the plate.
Shirley and Robinson both singled and scored in the first inning of game two for another early lead. An RBI-double in the third from Robinson drove in Shirley for a 3-0 lead, but the offense cooled the rest of the way.
Despite a silent offense, Taylor kept the Pioneers off the scoreboard until the sixth inning when the home team plated three runs. With two outs and a runner on third in the seventh, Grinnell came up with a single down the third base line for the game-winning run.
Sunday marked the beginning of a busy week for the Tigers. MCC travels to Ellsworth Community College on Monday afternoon for a doubleheader before playing eight games in a five-day stretch, including six conference contests, to close out the week.
Two-run home run to start the game! Click the picture to find out who went deep for the Tigers! pic.twitter.com/VM1XQrptt8
— MCC Tiger Softball (@MCCTigers_SB) April 2, 2017
