Witzany breaks record, Mustangs win three
LAMONI, Iowa / PERU, Neb. -- The Mount Mercy softball team started their 10-game Heart of America Athletic Conference road stretch to end the season, getting three wins this weekend against Graceland and Peru State. The Mustangs split Saturday's doubleheader with Graceland before sweeping Peru State on Sunday. Jayna Witzany won both her starts to move to 57 for her career, making her the all-time wins leader at Mount Mercy.
Witzany (17-3) continued her season-long dominance on the mound, holding the Yellowjackets to just three hits in an 8-0, five-inning win. Twelve of her 17 wins have been shutouts, tying her own single-season record from last year. She recorded 10 strikeouts while allowing just one walk. The run support came in many fashions -- bunts, home runs, and extra base hits. A two-run single from Makenna Moenk in the second put Mount Mercy on the board. In the third, Michelle Mack executed a squeeze bunt perfectly, scoring Rylee Goodfellow. Natalie Tecklenburg put the Mustangs up, 8-0, in the fifth with a three-run blast, the first of her career. Mack and Tecklenburg each collected two hits, with Tecklenburg driving in three runs.
The Mustangs found themselves down, 2-0, after two innings of play in game two against Graceland (11-27, 7-18 Heart). Mount Mercy got solo home runs from Moenk and Allie Poston in the third and fifth innings, tying the game at two apiece. However, those would be the only two hits the Mustangs could muster as Yellowjacket pitcher Allison Rebling kept the offense at bay for the final nine outs. Graceland scored two more in the bottom of the fifth, handing Mount Mercy the 4-2 loss. Kalli Minger went 4-1/3 innings giving up four runs on nine hits and striking out six. Annie Thomas pitched 1-2/3 hitless and scoreless softball in relief.
On Sunday, Peru State (12-30, 7-24 Heart) scored off Witzany in the first inning after a triple followed by a sacrifice fly, but that would be it for the Bobcats. Mount Mercy tallied a hit in every inning, but it remained a 1-0 game until the sixth before they could push a run across the plate. An error by the left fielder allowed Keily Ulatowski to score all the way from first, leveling the game at 1-1. In the seventh, the Mustangs tacked on three more runs and Witzany pitched a 1-2-3 inning for the 4-1, complete-game win. She struck out 11 and surrendered five hits while walking two. Jade Sharp was 3-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Mack recorded RBI for Mount Mercy.
For the third game in a row, the Mustangs had to play from behind, but a 1-0 deficit didn't last. Sam Lee drew a lead off walk in the fourth to get the rally going. Poston delivered the first RBI of the game, plating Lee. Two batters later, Tecklenburg followed suit, scoring Poston and Ulatowski. Mack's fifth inning double brought home Sharp, who got on base with a leadoff single. Ulatowski followed with a two-run blast for the 6-1 Mustang lead. The Bobcats didn't go away, scoring three of their own in the bottom of the frame to bring themselves within two. The Mustangs put up a four spot in the top of the sixth, highlighted by Sharp's two-run triple. Minger (11-8) pitched five innings giving up four runs on seven hits. Thomas came in relief in the sixth, but three of the first four batters reached base so Mount Mercy brought in their ace, Witzany, to seal the deal. Three of the final five outs were Witzany strikeouts, bringing her season total to 229, which ranks fourth in the NAIA. Sharp, Ulatowski, Poston, and Tecklenburg all collected two hits, while Mack recorded her second three-hit game of the year.
Next up for Mount Mercy (29-14, 22-6 Heart) has a mid-week Heart doubleheader with Clarke (9-33, 3-27 Heart) on Tuesday at 5:00 pm at Veterans Park in Dubuque.