Softball Drops Home Doubleheader Games to Grand View

Marshall, Mo., (Mar. 21, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College softball team opened the Heart of America Athletic Conference hosting a doubleheader with Grand View (Iowa), Friday afternoon at Lyon Bowl. The Vikings fell in the opener, 5-3, followed by a 7-1 defeat in game two.

Game one of the doubleheader started with early production from the plate for Grand View, using two hits to score one run in the top of the first, 1-0. After a scoreless inning for the MVC Vikings, Sophomore Pitcher Chloe Shuff (Cypress, Calif.) struck out one batter and induced a grounder in the second inning. Missouri Valley threatened in the bottom half of the second, as Freshman Designated Player Jordan Pasbrig (Moberly, Mo.) singled and Junior Catcher Makayla Casjens (Galt, Calif.) reached first on a GVU error, but the two were left stranded. Both teams were kept scoreless in the third, but MVC eventually opened the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth, as Junior Pinch Hitter Olivia Bettencourt (Murrieta, Calif.) reached first on a GVU error, and then advanced to second as Junior Rightfielder Taya Brickner (Fort Collins, Colo.) also reached first on an error by the third baseman. Casjens brought home Bettencourt on a single to right field to tie the game, 1-1. 

Grand View answered back in the top of the fifth, producing four runs on four hits to make it a 5-1 score. Missouri Valley responded, as Senior Leftfielder Audrey Short (St. Joseph, Ill.) walked, Freshman Second Baseman Allison Loucas (Twin Lakes, Wisc.) doubled to right field, and Short reached home safely on a GVU error. Bettencourt followed, reaching first on an error, Loucas advanced to third and then scored on a Grand View error to cut down the deficit to 5-3 in the bottom of the fifth. Freshman Pitcher Morgan Clubb (Oak Grove, Mo.) came into pitch in relief and kept GVU scoreless in the sixth and seventh inning, striking out one batter and inducing two fly-outs. Missouri Valley threatened to comeback in the bottom of the sixth, as Casjens and Sophomore Pinch Hitter Quinlynn Keller (Galt, Calif.) both singled, but the two runners were left stranded. Missouri Valley was taken down in order and unable to climb back late in the game, and fell by a final score of 5-3.

Casjens led with two hits and one RBI, while Loucas added one hit, one scored run and one RBI. Bettencourt scored one run and had one RBI. Both Pasbrig and Keller finished with a hit each. The loss went to Shuff, who pitched 4.1 innings, giving up seven hits and five earned runs with three strikeouts.

The second game started with both teams going through the first and second inning scoreless, which included two strikeouts from Junior Pitcher Emily Greenfield (Sherwood Park, Alberta). Grand View went in front in the top of the third, using one hit and one MVC error to produce two runs and make it a 2-0 score. After a scoreless inning for Missouri Valley, GVU extended their lead as they scored two runs on four hits to hold a 4-0 lead. MVC Vikings threatened in the bottom of the fourth, as both Casjens and Keller singled but the two were left stranded to end the at-bat. Grand View added to its lead in the fifth, as they produced one run on two hits, 5-0. Missouri Valley was taken down in order in the bottom half of the fifth, and Grand View used two hits and one MVC error to produce two runs and increase their lead in the sixth inning, 7-0. Casjens doubled to left field in the bottom of the sixth, but was unable to reach home safely. The Vikings scored one run in the seventh, as Junior Pinch Hitter Jena Emerson (Live Oak, Calif.) doubled and then came home on a grounder from Senior Pinch Hitter Brittney Slocum (Clovis, Calif.), but Missouri Valley was unable to produce any more runs and the team fell, 7-1.

Both Castruita and Casjens finished with two hits each, while Emerson had one hit and one scored run. Greenfield went 2.1 innings, giving up three hits and two earned runs with two strikeouts.

The pair of losses drop Missouri Valley to 7-17 on the season and 0-2 in the Heart, while Grand View improves to 13-9 overall and 2-0 in the conference.

Up next, the Vikings softball team will host William Penn (Iowa) in a Heart of America Athletic Conference doubleheader, Saturday, starting at 1 p.m., at Lyon Bowl.

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.