Vikings Rally In Wins to Sweep Mount Mercy

Marshall, Mo., (March 23, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College softball team hosted Mount Mercy (Iowa) in a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Marshall (Mo.) High School.  The Vikings overcame an early deficit to win game one, 9-2, then rallied late for a 7-4 win in game two for the sweep.

Game one started with Senior Pitcher Kim Horsten (Moergestel, The Netherlands) striking out one batter and stranding one base runner in the top of the first inning.  Mount Mercy bounced back with production from the plate in the top of the second inning.  Two hits and one MVC error eventually led to a pair of runs to put the team in front, 2-0.  Missouri Valley responded in the bottom half as Junior Third Baseman Brianna Vela (Kingsburg, Calif.) and Senior Rightfielder Chrisha Gray (Modesto, Calif.) both singled and Sophomore Catcher Makayla Casjens (Galt, Calif.) was hit to load the bases.  Sophomore Shortstop Aniah Castruita (South El Monte, Calif.) walked to bring home Vela, and Sophomore Leftfielder Hailey Simons (Pleasanton, Calif.) singled to score Gray and Casjens and move the team on top, 3-2.  The Vikings added to their lead in the bottom of the third, helped by a two-RBI single from Castruita and a grounder from Simons that brought home Castruita and make it a 6-2 score.

Horsten took down Mount Mercy in order in the fourth, then worked around a two-out walk to keep MMU scoreless in the fifth.  Missouri Valley put together another rally in the bottom of the fifth as Casjens started the at-bat with a single.  Simons singled, and Casjens came home on the play.  Junior Centerfielder Caitlyn Vela (Kingsburg, Calif.) doubled, and both Simons and Caitlyn Vela came home on a single from Sophomore First Baseman Olivia Bettencourt (Murrieta, Calif.) to stretch the advantage to 9-2.  Horsten struck out a pair in the sixth, then took down the Mustangs in order in the seventh to finish out a 9-2 victory.

Bettencourt finished with three hits and one RBI.  Gray had two hits and two runs scored, while Simons added two hits, one run and three RBI's.  Casjens and Brianna Vela both added one hit and two runs scored.  Horsten pitched a complete-game, giving up four hits and two earned runs with seven strikeouts.

The second game started with Freshman Pitcher Chloe Shuff (Cypress, Calif.) striking out a pair in the top of the first inning, and stranding one base runner.  Missouri Valley put together a productive at-bat in the bottom half of the inning, as both Junior Second Baseman Avery Gifford (Kansas City, Mo.) and Bettencourt singled with one out.  A grounder from Freshman Designated Player Quinlynn Keller (Galt, Calif.) led to an error from MMU and brought home both Bettencourt and Gifford.  Later, Gray knocked in Keller with a triple to give the Vikings a 3-0 advantage.  Shuff faced the minimum in the top of the second, as Castruita started a double-play to end the inning.  Castruita followed with a leadoff single, while Simons added a single in the at-bat, but the pair were left stranded.  The Mustangs worked down their deficit in the third, using three hits and one MVC error to bring home two runs and make it a 3-2 score.  Mount Mercy completed the comeback in the top of the fourth, as a two-run triple put the team in front, 4-3.

Senior Pitcher Cherrelee Miles (Centurion, South Africa) worked around a leadoff single in the fifth, striking out one batter, then took down MMU in order in the sixth.  Missouri Valley came back with a rally in the bottom of the sixth, which started on a single from Gray.  Castruita and Simons both singled to load the bases with one out.  Caitlyn Vela then put down a single, and an error on the play allowed two runners to score.  Sophomore Pinch Hitter Sophie De Rouin (Vienna, Austria) came up next, and hit a double to centerfield that allowed two more to come home and cap a four-run inning to give the team a 7-4 lead.  The Mustangs put runners on base with one out, using a single and a walk in the top of the seventh.  The tying run came to the plate, but hit a grounder to Brianna Vela at third who stepped on her bag then threw to first base to complete the game-ending double-play to secure the 7-4 win.

Caitlyn Vela and Gray each had two hits, one run scored and one RBI.  Both Castruita and Simons finished with two hits and one run apiece, while De Rouin had one hit and two RBI's.  Miles picked up the win, going the final four innings with two hits, no runs and two strikeouts.

The pair of wins move Missouri Valley to 10-14 on the season, and 4-0 in the Heart.  Mount Mercy drops to 10-14 on the season and 0-4 in the Heart.  This is the best start to the conference schedule for the program since opening 3-1 in the 2013 season.

Up next, the Vikings travel to Canton, Mo., for a Heart doubleheader against Culver-Stockton (Mo.), Friday at 1 p.m.

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.