Raiderettes win fourth game in a row
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
Break up the Mount Ayr Raiderette softball team.
They are on a winning streak and that streak went to four games after three more wins last week over Pride of Iowa Conference foes.
The Raiderettes lost their season opener at Shenandoah on May 20, but have not lost since and now are 4-1 and unbeaten at 4-0 in the POI.
Mount Ayr hosted Murray on Monday and was at Class 1A No. 3 Wayne Tuesday. The Raiderettes will be home Friday when Nodaway Valley comes to town before playing in the John Stephens Softball Classic in Creston this weekend.
Junior Breya Nickle is on fire at the plate, batting .579 with 11 hits, four home runs, and 11 RBI’s in five games.
Kensie Barnes and Aubree Clark add in batting averages of .300 or better. Mount Ayr pitchers Kynlee Still, Keely Wasteney, and Kensie Barnes have combined to strike out 34 batters, walk 17, and compile a team ERA of 1.04 in 40 and one-third innings.
Postponed weather games at Clarke and home against Central Decatur have not had make-up dates announced.
The Raiderettes began the week with an offensive shootout with rival Lenox on May 28 at Lenox. There, Mount Ayr won 8-6 to win their second POI game of the year.
All of the 14 combined runs came after the second inning. Mount Ayr scored first with four runs in the top of the third to break a scoreless tie. Lenox responded with two runs in the third. Each team scored a run over the next two innings to set the score at 5-3 Raiderettes.
Mount Ayr would extend their lead to 8-3 with a three-run top of the sixth. That score stood until Lenox tried to rally in the bottom of the seventh, scoring three runs. Mount Ayr would record the final out before the Tigers could get any closer. The win was the sixth straight over Lenox for Mount Ayr, and 13th win in the last 14 meetings between the schools.
Keely Wasteney was the winning pitcher after going into the seventh and officially pitching six and a third innings. She struck out four, walked seven, and gave up six runs on four hits.
The Raiderettes Kensie Barnes tags out a Lenox runner near first base in Mount Ayr’s win over the Tigers last week. PHOTO BY DARLA SOBOTKA.
Kensie Barnes got the final two outs of the game to pick up the save.
Zoe Reed took the loss for Lenox after three and two-thirds innings. She struck out six, walked three, and gave up five runs on four hits. Mount Ayr also roughed up relief pitcher Reese Reed who gave up three runs.
The Raiderettes traveled to Corning on Thursday, May 30 to take on SW Valley.
Mount Ayr scored first with two runs in the top of the first for a 2-0 lead. SW Valley took a while to get going but answered with two runs in the third to tie the game at 2-2.
Mount Ayr would take control of the game with five unanswered runs, scoring once in the fourth and putting up two runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings to set the score at 7-2.
The Timberwolves pushed a run home in the sixth but couldn’t get closer than the four-run final margin.
Mount Ayr had eight hits in the game led by Breya Nickle with a 2-for-2 night. Nickle had a home run, 4 RBI’s, four runs scored, and a double in the game. Other Raiderette hits came from Anna Greenland, Keely Wasteney, Allison Anderson, and Kensie Barnes. Keely Wasteney and Kensie Barnes combined to strike out seven batters and walk one in the game.
The Raiderettes ended the week with a 2-1 home win over Bedford.
The Bulldogs are leaving the POI after this summer season and going to the Corner Conference starting in the 2024-25 school year.
The Bulldogs put up a fight in the game as they came in 1-3 in four games. Bedford would give the Raiderettes all they could handle before falling 2-1.
The game was scoreless after seven innings and went to extra innings. The game would be decided in the ninth inning with Bedford scoring a run in the top of the ninth and Mount Ayr, scoring two in the bottom of the ninth to win.
Bedford had seven hits in the game led by MaKayla Nicholas who was 2-for-4 with a triple and single. Breanna Simmons drove in the only run for the Bulldogs. Simmons took the loss after working nine and a third i
nnings.
Mount Ayr had seven hits in the game led by Breya Nickle who was 3-for-5 with a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth. Keely Wasteney was 2-for-5 with a RBI and Kensie Barnes was 2-for-5 with a pair of singles. Mount Ayr was issued eight walks in the game with Tatum Friedrich, Kynlee Still, Dannie Stewart each getting on base twice due to walks.