Senior outfielder smacks pair of homers in two more Bobcat softball wins
The last time the Marshalltown softball team won three in a row, it ended up collecting six straight.
The Bobcats hope they’ve started on a similar path after this weekend’s home tournament.
A day after getting revenge against BCLUW, Marshalltown mowed down Colfax-Mingo and Grundy Center to improve to 13-17 for the season.
Marshalltown ended a seven-game losing streak with Friday’s 9-0 triumph over BCLUW, and a pair of wins on Saturday lead into another six-game week in Iowa Alliance Conference play.
Senior outfielder Aubree Mundt homered in both games for the Bobcats to kickstart the offense, and strong pitching performances made it count. Hanna Osgood pitched a six-hit shutout in a 9-0, five-inning win over Colfax-Mingo, and Briley Danielson scattered seven hits across a 13-4, five-inning victory against Grundy Center.
Osgood got her first shutout of the season, walking two and striking out five, and Marshalltown backed her with enough offense. Mundt’s two-run homer in the bottom of the third inning gave the Bobcats a 3-0 lead, and an inning later they blew the lid off it with a six-run outburst — all with two outs.
Gianna Baune started the surge with a bunt single, and Kate Sandvick followed with an RBI double. Laney Danielson singled her home, and Mundt drove in Danielson when her swinging bunt was misplayed. Olivia Wise kept it going with a single up the middle, and Briley Danielson reached on an error to plate another. Kendall Brummel walked before Osgood’s fly ball to the outfield was dropped, scoring two more runs.
Sandvick and Wise had two hits apiece to lead MHS in the opener against Colfax-Mingo (3-14). The Tigerhawks only advanced one baserunner as far as third.
Mundt’s two-run homer against Grundy Center — her former school — came as part of a three-run first inning for the Bobcats against the NICL West Division champion Spartans (15-7).
Baune was hit by a pitch, sacrificed over by Sandvick, and scored on a Laney Danielson hit. Mundt slammed a two-run shot to center to give Marshalltown the early 3-0 advantage.
The Bobcats bumped it up to 5-0 with two more runs in the second. Brummel and Baune hit back-to-back singles, and a sacrifice fly by Sandvick and another hit by Laney Danielson drove in the runs.
Grundy Center did its damage in the top of the third, scoring four times on five hits and one MHS error. Maddy Hendershot hit a two-run double and scored when Macey Kiewiet’s single was misplayed. Kyndra Dieken followed with a hit, and a passed ball plated Kiewiet to make it a 5-4 game.
The Bobcats had the answer, rattling off eight runs on six hits, two walks and two Spartan misues, in the bottom of the third. Abby Janssen hit a two-run single, Kaelyn Coleman followed with an RBI double, and Marshalltown eventually sent 14 batters to the plate.
Coleman’s second run-scoring hit of the inning capped the rally, giving MHS its 13-4 lead.
A two-out single by Hendershot in the fifth was Grundy Center’s only other hit as Marshalltown closed it out. Briley Danielson struck out six and walked none in the win.
Hendershot took the loss for the Spartans, allowing nine runs on nine hits, two walks and a hit batter. She also led Grundy by going 2-for-3 at the plate with a double, a run and two RBIs.
Sandvick, Janssen, Coleman and both Danielsons had two hits apiece for Marshalltown, which returns to action with six games in three days this week.
The Bobcats host Mason City for an Iowa Alliance Conference doubleheader on Tuesday, and MHS travels to Mason City for Wednesday’s twinbill. Marshalltown closes conference play at home with Waterloo East on Thursday.