Pioneers 16... Minnesota North - Rainy River 1

The Pioneer softball team made short work of the Rainy River Voyageurs with a 12-0 victory in the first game of a doubleheader for MCC on Wednesday.

MCC scored 2 runs in the 1st inning thanks to some Rainy River errors. SS Sierra John (Idaho Falls, ID) and CF Cassidy Bagnell (Frenchtown, MT) both reached base by error. With runners on 2nd and 3rd, John scored on a wild pitch and DH Skylar Higgs (Livingston, MT) knocked Bagnell home with a sacrifice fly. 

In the 2nd inning 2B Mars Weaver (Rexburg, ID) singled and 1B Abi Maddock (Belgrade, MT) walked. Weaver then stole 3rd and scored on an error by the 3rd baseman.

MCC then put up 9 runs in the 3rd inning to take a commanding 12-0 lead. With one out, 3B Megan Johnson (Preston, ID) was hit by a pitch. LF Reed Johnson (Columbus, MT) doubled to right field seeing M. Johnson moved to 3rd and then scored on a sacrifice fly by C Taylor Feller (Laurel, MT). Weaver then singled to drive in R. Johnson and Maddock singled putting runners on 1st and 2nd. RF Alexa Lewis (Bozeman, MT) was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Sierra John was hit by a pitch to score Weaver. Bagnell then hit a 2 RBI single past the 3rd baseman for a 8-0 lead. Higgs followed that with a 2 RBI single and Megan Johnson doubled to center field. Reed Johnson reached on an error and both Higgs and Megan Johnson scored. 

MCC added another in the 4th inning with 2 outs on a hard single by Lewis. John and Bagnell then walked and Lewis scored on a wild pitch during Bagnell's at bat and the Pioneers led 13-0.

Rainy River plated a run in the bottom of the 4th to make the score 13-1.  MCC added 2 more in the 5th inning after one out when Reed Johnson and Isabelle Adams (Park City, MT) eache singled. Arin Eaton (Belgrade, MT) bunted and reached on an error in which Johnson and Adams scored. Eaton advanced to 3rd on a passed ball and scored on another passed ball. 

Madi Henry (Spanish Fork, UT) whirled a one-hitter in the circle for the Pioneers. In 5 innings of work, Henry gave up just 2 hits, 3 walks, and struck out 6. 

Inside the Box Score

• The Pioneers cracked 10 hits and drew 4 walks. 
• Rainy River got only 2 hits and drew 3 walks.
• MCC took advantage of 6 Rainy River errors. MCC had only 1 error. 
• Reed Johnson (2B) and Mars Weaver each had 2 hits for MCC. Skylar Higgs had 3 RBI and Cassidy Bagnell had 2. 

Pioneers ... Williston State 

In a battle of MonDak Conference rivals, the MCC Pioneers got off to a great start and then found themselves in a dogfight on Wednesday night in Tucson, Arizona. Both teams escaped winter in Montana/ND for a trip to Tucson for spring break.

MCC tallied 4 runs in the 1st inning to establish some dominance early. Sierra John led off the game with a single and Cassidy Bagnell reached on an error that sent John to 3rd base. John scored on a passed ball and Bagnell was thrown out at 3rd base. Liz Ybarra (Belgrade, MT) walked and Skylar Higgs singled to put runners on 1st and 2nd. 1B Hazel Eaton doubled to score Ybarra and move Higgs to 3rd. 3B Taylor Feller (Laurel, MT) singled and Higgs scored as well as Eaton on an error by the left fielder.

MCC put up 2 more runs in the 2nd for a 6-0 lead. Sierra John doubled and reached 3rd on a passed ball. Cassidy Bagnell walked and stole 2nd base. John scored on a sacrifice fly by Skylar Higgs. Bagnell then scored on an error and the Pioneers took a commanding lead. 

Williston State then scored 2 in the 3rd and another in the 4th. MCC put another run on the board in the bottom of the 4th after a Peyton Whitehead (Joliet, MT) single that scored Hazel Eaton. 

Williston scored 3 runs in the 5th inning to cut the Pioneer lead to one. MCC got an insurance run in the bottom of the 5th when Bagnell singled and moved to 3rd on a single by Ybarra. Higgs drove Bagnell in on a sacrifice fly to make the score 8-6.

The Pioneers held off Williston State the rest of the way to walk away with the win. 

Inside the Box Score

• MCC cracked 14 hits and WSC had 10. 
• Williston committed 5 errors and MCC had 3. 
• Each team's pitching staff gave up 3 walks. 
• Sierra John and Shannon Nelson had 3 hits, while Hazel Eaton and Taylor Feller each had 2. Cassidy Bagnell, Liz Ybarra, Skylar Higgs, and Peyton Whitehead each had one. 

The Pioneers are 8-2 and will have an off day on Thursday. MCC will play Vermillion and Williston State on Friday at 9:00 and 11:30 AM.