Mustangs split with Yellowjackets, await postseason matchup
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Graceland | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
|
Mount Mercy | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | X | 8 | 9 | 1 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Graceland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 |
|
Mount Mercy | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- The Mount Mercy softball team split their final regular season doubleheader against Graceland on Saturday, winning the opener, 8-3, and losing game two, 6-2, in Heart of America Athletic Conference action at Busse Field.
Now the Mustangs (25-21, 13-11 Heart) look ahead to the Heart Softball Championship, which begins on Thursday on their home field. Mount Mercy will be the sixth or seventh seed when pairings are announced late Monday after Missouri Valley and Graceland finish the regular season.
The Mustangs scored four in the first and four more in the sixth to claim Saturday's opener. A Calli Janik double scored two and Allie Poston's two-run single put Mount Mercy in front early. After the Yellowjackets got within a run in the third, Rylee Goodfellow, Janik, Keily Ulatowski, and Annika Headington drove in runs in the sixth to put the game away.
Kalli Minger (9-12) didn't allow an earned run while scattering four hits in a complete-game victory. Janik finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Natalie Tecklenburg and Sam Lee also collected a pair of hits.
In the finale, it was Graceland that used a four-run sixth inning to get the win. Tecklenburg's sacrifice fly scored Poston for the game's first run in the bottom of the third. The Yellowjackets tied it in the fourth then distanced themselves in the sixth, capped off by a Paige Cooper home run in the seventh.
The Mustangs were limited to five hits in game two. Poston was 2-for-3 with a run scored while Ashley Smith went 2-for-4 while also scoring a run. Alyssa McElvain (12-9) surrendered five runs on three hits in 5-1/3 for Mount Mercy. Megan Steffens threw the final 1-2/3 innings, giving up a run on two hits.
The 2024 Heart of America Softball Championship is May 2-5 at Busse Field. The double-elimination tournament features the top eight teams in the league, with five games each day on Thursday and Friday, three games on Saturday, and then the championship game or games on Sunday.