Game 1 - Pioneers 18... Dakota College at Bottineau 8 (5 Innings)

The Pioneer softball team had no troubles acclimating themselves to the northern tier of North Dakota hitting softballs all over the Lumberjack field to dominate the homestanding Jacks 18-8 in 5 innings on Friday afternoon. 

MCC scored 3 runs in the 1st inning, 4 more in the 2nd, and then piled on 10 runs in the 3rd inning to take a 17-0 lead after 2 1/2 innings of play. The Pioneers banged out 18 hits in the first 3 innings including a home run by 3B Taylor Feller (Laurel, MT), triples by SS Sierra John (Idaho Falls, ID), Cassidy Bagnell (Frenchtown, MT), and Megan Johnson (Preston, Idaho), and doubles (2) by C HaiLeigh Davis (Shepherd, MT), LF Liz Ybarra (Belgrade, MT), Alexa Lewis (Bozeman, MT) and John. 

In the 1st inning, Bagnell singled scored on a Ybarra double. 1B Hazel Eaton (Belgrade, MT) singled to drive in Ybarra and advanced to 2nd on an error. Megan Johnson followed that with an RBI triple. The 2nd inning started with a Davis double and a 2B Shannon Nelson (Livingston, MT) single that put runners on the corners. John then hit a 2 RBI triple to make the score 5-0. John scored on a Bagnell ground ball that was not fielded cleanly by the Lumberjack infield and Bagnell moved to 3rd. She scored on a Ybarra groundout. 

The Pioneer 10-run 3rd inning started on singles by Davis and Nelson. John reached base on an error to load the bases. With one out, Ybarra reached on an error and Nelson scored. With 2 outs, Eaton singled home Bagnell to keep the bases loaded. Ybarra scored on a passed ball to make the score 12-0 and Megan Johnson singled to drive in CF Skylar Higgs (Livingston, MT) and Eaton. Taylor Feller then connected on her 2-run blast and a 14-0 lead. Davis hit her 2nd double of the game and Nelson singled to put runners on the corners. John doubled to drive in Davis and Bagnell followed that with a triple to drive in the final 2 runs of the inning. 

MCC scored their final run in the 5th inning when Alexa Lewis hit her double and was driven home by a Reed Johnson (Columbus, MT) single. DCB scored 4 inconsequential runs in the bottom of the 5th. 

Inside the Box Score

• Nelson, Davis, Megan Johnson, Hazel Eaton all had 3 hits. John and Bagnell had 2. 
• MCC banged out 21 hits and DCB had 7. 
• DCB had 5 errors and the Pioneers had 2. 
• The teams combined to have only 3 total walks. 

Game 2 - Pioneers 9... Dakota College at Bottineau 6

Game 2 got started on a little different path. DCB plated 4 runs in the top of the 1st for a 4-0 lead. MCC answered that with 2 runs in the 1st and 3 more in the 2nd. Sierra John started the game with a single amoved to 2nd on a fielder's choice out by Ybarra. Skylar Higgs singled to drive in John and then scored on a Hazel Eaton double. 

In the 2nd inning, 3B Morgan Lampshire (Murray, UT) reached base on an error, stole 2nd, and then got to 3rd on a passed ball. Lampshire scored with 2B Mars Weaver (Rexburg, ID) fly ball that was misplayed in centerfield. Weaver made it to 3rd after a wild pitch and was driven home by a Bagnell single. 

The Jacks took the lead in top of the 3rd inning with 2 runs and the Pioneers tied it 6-6 in the bottom of the 3rd. Higgs led the inning off with a triple and Hazel Eaton followed that with a home run. 

The Pioneers took their 1st lead of the game in the bottom of the 4th inning. Liz Ybarra reached base after an error and Higgs singled to put runners on 1st and 2nd. Hazel Eaton kept her bat warmed up with her 2nd home run in as many innings. The Pioneers held off the Lumberjacks over the final 3 innings to record a 9-6 victory. 

Alex Carr started the game at pitcher for MCC and went 3 innings (6 R, 6 H, BB, 2 SO) and Peyton Whithead pitched the final 4 innings (0 R, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 SO).

Inside the Box Score

• Hazel Eaton accounted for 6 RBI for MCC. 
• Higgs and Eaton had 6 of the 9 Pioneer hits. 
• Pioneer batters struck out only twice. 
• Bottineau outhit the Pioneers 10-9.
• MCC committed 2 errors and DCB had 4

The Pioneers are now 17-3 in MonDak Conference play and 30-5 overall. They will play at Williston State tomorrow at 12:00 and 2:30 PM MST.