Spartan softball struggles in homestand
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| CNA photo by LARRY PETERSON
On target: Angie Hawkins of Southwestern Community College connects on a pitch for a line drive to center field against North Iowa Area Community College Saturday. |
In six home games over the weekend, the Southwestern softball team went just 1-5 — gaining a lone win over NIACC on Saturday.
“Both offensively and defensively we are struggling,” said Southwestern coach Lindsay Stumpff. “Errors are plaguing us right now. It’s all mental. Physically we are capable of playing with any team right now.”
In a doubleheader against seventh-ranked Iowa Central on Friday, the Spartans were swept by identical 9-0 scores. Southwestern committed eight errors in the two games, with Iowa Central belting out 23 hits.
Former Murray standout Marla Jackson picked up the win in the circle for Iowa Central in game two. Jackson scattered out just three hits in the win, improving her record to 7-2 on the season.
On Saturday, Southwestern split a doubleheader with NIACC — losing the first game by a 6-5 score before coming back with an 8-4 win.
In game one, Ashtyn Neill struck out seven Ellsworth batters, but NIACC took the lead for good after a four-run fourth inning. Jodie Beitz and Angie Hawkins each had two doubles in the losing effort.
In game two, the Spartans scored five runs between the fifth and sixth innings to take the 8-4 win. Tiffany Jeanes was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a double. Southwestern still committed seven errors in Saturday’s doubleheader.
“The difference between us making errors and other teams making errors is that they capitalize on our errors,” said Stumpff. “NIACC is a team that is at our level and when you play teams like that, you have to pick it up a notch. We’re getting teams down, but we’re not burying them.”
On Sunday, Southwestern lost 9-8 and 8-5 to Ellsworth.
In game one, Southwestern built a 5-0 lead before Ellsworth scored nine runs in the fourth inning.
“We had two walks and that was the downfall right there,” said Stumpff. “We had three errors in that inning alone and all those errors occurred when runners were on base. They took advantage when they needed to.”
Beitz led the Spartans by going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a home run in the fourth inning. Tiffany Troutwine was also 2-for-4.
In a game two 8-5 defeat, Hawkins and Cortni Livengood were each 2-for-4. Ellsworth scored four runs in each the fourth and seventh innings. Brittney Auten, who has been out with an illness, batted in the second game Sunday and Stumpff expects here to be full-time again sometime this week.
Southwestern (7-11 overall) travels to North Central (Mo.) today for a doubleheader.
Iowa Central 9, Southwestern 0
R H E
ICCC 021 031 2 — 9 11 0
SWCC 000 000 0 — 0 4 3
S: Ashtyn Neill 2K 3BB and Angie Hawkins. I: Kylee Jones and Amanda Phillips. W — Jones. L — Neill.
Iowa Central 9, Southwestern 0
R H E
ICCC 102 15 — 9 12 0
SWCC 000 00 — 0 3 5
S: Tiffany Coon 0BB 0K and Angie Hawkins. I: Marla Jackson and Amanda Phillips. W — Jackson. L — Coon.
NIACC 6, Southwestern 5
R H E
NIACC 202 200 0 — 6 7 5
SWCC 320 000 0 — 5 9 4
S: Ashtyn Neill 7K 3BB and Angie Hawkins. N: Andrea Aguilar and Laura Fjelstad. W — Aguilar. L — Neill. 2B — S: Jodie Beitz 2, Hawkins 2. RBI — S: Hawkins 2, Beitz 1, Harris 1, Neill 1. Multiple hitters — S: Hawkins 3, Beitz 2.
Southwestern 8, NIACC 4
R H E
NIACC 100 002 1 — 4 3 2
SWCC 120 023 0 — 8 8 3
S: Tiffany Coon 2K 1BB and Angie Hawkins. N: Traci Lerch and Laura Fjelstad. W — Coon. L — Lerch. 2B — S: Jodie Beitz, Tiffany Troutwine, Ashtyn Neill, Tiffany Jeanes. RBI — S: Beitz 2, Jeanes 1, Neill 1, Troutwine 1. Multiple hitters — S: Jeanes 2.
Ellsworth 9, Southwestern 8
R H E
ECC 000 900 0 — 9 6 0
SWCC 200 321 0 — 8 11 6
S: Ashtyn Neill 2K 2BB and Angie Hawkins. E: Amanda Schneir and Emily Sandor. W — Schneir. L — Neill (3-6). HR — S: Jodie Beitz. 2B — S: Beitz, Erin Newbury, Hawkins. RBI — S: Hawkins 2, Newbury 2, Beitz 2, Jeanes 1. Multiple hitters — S: Beitz 2, Tiffany Troutwine 2.
Ellsworth 8, Southwestern 5
R H E
ECC 004 000 4 — 8 11 5
SWCC 040 000 1 — 5 7 5
S: Tiffany Coon 2K 1BB and Angie Hawkins. E: Kaitlin Hall and Mary Fowler. W — Hall. L — Coon (4-5). 3B — S: Kaylee Harris. 2B — S: Hawkins. RBI — S: Erin Newbury 1, Cortni Livengood 1, Harris 1, Tiffany Jeanes 1. Multiple hitters — S: Hawkins 2, Livengood 2.
