[Softball] Mustang sweep makes it three straight wins in league play

MARION, Iowa -- More late-game heroics and solid pitching allowed Mount Mercy to extend its winning streak to three games in league play with a 4-3, 5-1 sweep of Iowa Wesleyan in a Midwest Collegiate Conference doubleheader on Wednesday at Marion High School.

The Mustangs faced a 3-0 deficit after five-and-a-half innings in game one, but a two-run homer by junior third baseman Jessica Magnuson in the bottom of the sixth and an RBI double from sophomore pinch-hitter Kaitlyn Breza in the seventh forced extra innings. After the Tigers failed to score in the top of the eighth, a two-out, run-scoring double by junior designated player Brian DeFlavio plated Magnuson with the game winner.

Magnuson was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Her 12th home run of the year set a new single-season record and extended her career record to 21 in less than two seasons with the Mustangs. Junior right-hander Paige Lager (10-8) didn't allow an earned run in a complete-game, five-hitter. She struck out eight and walked three.

Mount Mercy had to come from behind again in the nightcap, this time erasing a one-run Tiger lead after three-and-a-half. A sacrifice fly by freshman right fielder Hayley Pence, an RBI single by freshman center fielder Erica Soppe and a run-scoring double by junior second baseman Rosie Jones put the Mustangs in front for good in the bottom of the third. They tacked on a pair of unearned runs an inning later for the final margin.

Pence, Magnuson, Jones and sophomore left fielder Brooklyn Schrader had two hits apiece for Mount Mercy. Junior righty Mariah Early (6-9) had her best outing of the season, scattering five hits over seven innings. She didn't allow an earned run and struck out five while walking three.

The Mustangs (18-18, 8-6 MCC) and Tigers square off again this weekend at the MCC Challenge Weekend in Morrison, Ill. Mount Mercy plays Iowa Wesleyan at 11:00 a.m. and Waldorf at 1:15 p.m. on Saturday. They wrap up the weekend against Ashford at 11:00 a.m. and William Penn at 1:15 p.m. on Sunday.