Mustangs walk-off on Fenn HR, DCG softball posts comebacks

The final week of June gave the Mustangs a couple of close calls, but wins all the same. (Note: Games covered June 25-30)

Baseball (30-2)

The Mustangs officially clinched the Little Hawkye Conference title this season after adding two league wins this past week.

Taking on Newton (7-19) for a road doubleheader on June 26, DCG improved to 15-1 in the conference with an 8-1 and 5-1 win over the Cardinals. With Pella sitting at 14-4 for second place, the championship is out of reach for the Dutch, making it back-to-back titles for the Curt Castenson-coached crew.

Those two games went without a hitch, with the Mustangs building momentum with each inning. Of the 14 innings played, they found at least one run in eight innings while Newton only scored in the first inning of each game.

Keeping runners stranded in Game 1, Lincoln Harris collected nine strikeouts in a complete game while allowing just two hits and three walks. Dayne Mauk took the ball in Game 2, also working a full game, tossing 11 strikeouts with five runners allowed. Mauk also punched his third home run of the season on top of the win to move him to 7-0 on the season.

Providing some late theatrics the next night against North Polk, the Mustangs walked off with a 6-5 win in the eighth inning on a home run from Keaton Fenn. Adding to the drama, the game was sent into extras after allowing the Comets to take a 5-3 lead in the seventh inning. Ty Mikkelsen led the Mustangs with two runs scored while Cross Bandy crushed three RBI on the night against 3A’s top-ranked team.

Softball (28-5)

This past week was equally marked by a couple of no-doubters and close calls as the postseason quickly approaches for the Mustangs which recently earned itself the top seed in Region 7.

Helping their case chasing the Little Hawkeye title, DCG walked out of Newton (13-13) with a 14-1 and 9-3 win to sweep the doubleheader. While the latter induced some urgency with the team down 3-1 entering the fifth inning, Izabella Mulder made it a no-doubter thanks to a five RBI performance thanks in part to her fifth home run of the year.

The Mustangs also played from behind briefly on Friday against Dowling Catholic (11-20), going down 3-2 in the sixth inning. Lydia Zaruba helped get through the game, scoring twice and driving an additional run as part of the final rally.

And faced with Urbandale (17-15) that same day at DCG’s home tournament, the Mustangs faced a 5-1 deficit but clawed back for an 8-6 win, getting a win for Aubrey Johansen who pitched all seven innings while leading the team with three hits (all three times ending in a score from her pinch runner Paisley Heidgerken).