Softball Sweeps Home Doubleheader Against Clarke

Marshall, Mo., (March 22, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College softball team played for the first time at home this season, hosting Clarke (Iowa) in a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader Friday.  The Vikings led early and earned a 4-3 win in game one, then earned a 6-4 win in game two for the sweep.

Game one started with Senior Pitcher Kim Horsten (Moergestel, The Netherlands) facing the minimum in the top of the first inning, striking out one batters.  Junior Centerfielder Caitlyn Vela (Kingsburg, Calif.) led off the bottom of the inning with a triple, and came home later in the at-bat on a wild pitch to put the Vikings in front, 1-0.  Horsten worked around a single in the top of the second inning, stranding the runner with an inning-ending strikeout.  Missouri Valley added another run in the bottom of the inning, as Sophomore Catcher Makayla Casjens (Galt, Mo.) singled and came home on a double from Vela to make it a 2-0 advantage.  The Pride worked a pair of singles in the third, but Horsten struck kout a pair and induced a ground out to end the at-bat without surrendering a run.  

The Vikings added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth as Senior Rightfielder Chrisha Gray (Modesta, Calif.) singled and Sophomore Leftfielder Hailey Simons (Pleasanton, Calif.) earned a walk.  Vela then brought home both runners with her second triple of the game to make it a 4-0 score.  Horsten struck out two batters in the fifth, then took down CU in order once again in the top of the sixth.  The Pride put together a rally in the top of the seventh, using a walk and two hit-by-pitch batters to load the bases with no outs.  A single eventually led to two runners scoring.  However, the play ended when Casjens threw to Horsten to tag out the third baserunner for the first out.  A Clarke grounder allowed another runner to score, to close the gap down to 4-3.  With the go-ahead run at the plate, Horsten struck out the next batter for out two, then worked a grounder to Junior Third Baseman Brianna Vela (Kingsburg, Calif.) to end the game and secure the 4-3 win.

Caitlyn Vela led with three hits, one run and three RBI's.  Both Gray and Casjens had one hit and one run scored.  Horsten pitched a complete game, giving up four hits with two earned runs and seven strikeouts.

Clarke started the second game with early production from the plate, using three-straight singles to bring home the first run of the contest.  Senior Pitcher Cherrelee Miles (Centurion, South Africa) then took down the next three batters, including one strikeout, to keep it a 1-0 score.  Missouri Valley responded in the bottom half of the inning, as Caitlyn Vela led off with a walk, then stole second base.  Sophomore First Baseman Olivia Bettencourt (Murrieta, Calif.) drove Caitlyn Vela home on a single to tie the game at 1-1.  Miles took down CU in order in the top of the second inning and the Vikings followed with a rally in the bottom half.  Three-straight singles from Sophomore Catcher Makayla Casjens (Galt, Mo.), Sophomore Shortstop Aniah Castruita (South El Monte, Calif.) and Simons loaded the bases and Caitlyn Vela worked a walk to bring home the first run of the inning.  Junior Second Baseman Avery Gifford (Kansas City, Mo.) followed with a single to score two more runs, and Bettencourt brought home Caitlyn Vela on a sac-fly to put the advantage at 5-1.  The Pride worked down the deficit in the top of the third, scoring three runs on four hits to make it 5-4.

Junior Pitcher Abby Kinzler (Kansas City, Mo.) worked around a two-out single in the top of the fourth, and MVC added one more run in the bottom half, as Simons doubled to score Castuita and put the lead at 6-4.  Clarke put one runner on-base in both the fifth and sixth innings, but Kinzler got out of each inning by stranding the runners on-base.  The Pride threatened again in the sixth, as a walk and error brought the go-ahead run to the play with two outs.  The next batter hit a liner to Brianna Vela at third base to end the game and give MVC a 6-4 win.

Castruita led with two hits and two runs scored.  Simons had two hits, one run and one RBI, while Freshman Designated Player Quinlynn Keller (Galt. Mo.) added two hits.  Both Gifford and Bettencourt added one hit and two RBI's apiece.  Kinzler earned the win, pitching the final four innings with two hits, earned runs and two strikeouts

Missouri Valley improves to 8-14 on the season and 2-0 in the Heart.  Clarke drops to 8-8 overall and 0-2 in the conference.

Up next, the Viking softball team hosts Mount Mercy (Iowa) in a Heart doubleheader, Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m., at Marshall (Mo.) High School.

Game 1 Box Score-Click Here

Game 2 Box Score-Click Here

About Missouri Valley College

Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based global society. MVC offers over 30 academic programs, study abroad program, extracurricular activities, and a wide variety of sports. The most popular majors include education and business, criminal justice and exercise science. Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831-4000 or visit www.moval.edu.