Cedar Rapids, IA—35 hits later, the Marshalltown Community College softball team completed its evening sweep of Mount Mercy JV on the road. The Tigers rolled to a 13-1 game one victory before erasing a six-run deficit in game two to win 14-9.
The barrage of hits was highlighted by a series of Tigers, including a 4-4 performance in the opener from Shaena Robinson (Gardnerville, NV/Douglas) and a 3-3 production with a career-high five RBI from Samuari Jones (Louisville, KY).
Sophomore Paige Taylor (Coquitlam, British Columbia/Terry Fox) picked up the win in each game to improve to 9-8 on the year. After tossing all five innings in the opener, Taylor hurled 4.2 innings of relief work while allowing just one hit to pick up victory.
The Tigers had no trouble in game one behind Taylor's gem in the circle. The offense provided plenty of support with a four-run first inning. Robinson delivered a two-run double and Josie Carpenter (Wapello, IA/Wapello) tacked on a run-scoring double of her own for the early lead.
MCC used a seven-run second inning to pull away as Annalee Myers (Ames, IA/Ames) drove in two runs with a double. Courtney Fudge (Pleasant Hill, IA/Des Moines East) added an RBI-double to amplify the advantage.
Along with Robinson's four hits, Fudge went 3-4 at the dish with two RBI and two runs scored. Carpenter, Myers, and Dion Shirley (Van Meter, IA/Van Meter) each delivered two hits in the win.
MCC took a 2-0 lead in the first inning of game two after another RBI-double from Myers, but the Mustang offense woke up with four runs in the bottom half. The home team led 9-3 after three innings before the Tiger offense regrouped and clawed its way back.
Jones' first hit of the game came in the fourth inning on an RBI-single. The sophomore later delivered a two-run double to tie the game at nine as part of a four-run fifth inning for the Tigers. Taylor limited the Mustangs as MCC produced three more runs in the sixth, including another run-scoring double from Jones. Myers added a two-run double in the seventh to secure the sweep.
Along with Jones' performance, Myers drove in four runs with three hits in the game two win. Tess Cheetham (Oceanside, CA/Oceanside) went 3-5 and Fudge delivered her third-straight three-hit game. Lexie Valentine (Des Moines, IA/Saydel) upped her batting average to .397 on the year with a pair of hits and Jordan Carter (Sigourney, IA/Sigourney) collected two knocks of her own.
MCC hits the road on Thursday for a two-day Nebraska swing. The Tigers will take on Central Community College on Thursday and Concordia University JV on Friday.
