LE GRAND — Madison Farrington’s two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning gave the East Marshall softball team the lead for good and the Class 2A No. 10 Mustangs fought off Bondurant-Farrar for a 10-3 win in Monday’s non-conference contest.

Reagan McIlrath reached on a leadoff walk and Farrington made it a 3-2 Mustang lead with her sixth home run of the season, which ranks her third in 2A. Hannah Birks walked one out later and scored the eventual game-winning run on a throwing error.

After Bondurant-Farrar (11-12) tallied a run to get back within 4-3, East Marshall (17-4) piled on with five runs in the fifth and an additional insurance run in the sixth. Junior hurler Kodie Hoskey held the Bluejays there, finishing off the complete game pitching performance with nine strikeouts and no walks. She surrendered two earned runs on eight hits, including a solo homer for B-F freshman Katelyn Lappe.

McIlrath had a two-run single for her only hit, while Maria Rasmusson and Juliana Arifi both had two hits and two RBIs. Leadoff batter Melinda Puumala went 3-for-4 with a double, three stolen bases and three runs scored.

East Marshall hosts Grundy Center on Wednesday night in an NICL West Division clash.

Ashton, Kruse combine on no-hitter

ELDORA — Bailey Ashton and Kiersten Kruse combined on a five-inning no-hitter and nearly a perfect game as the Class 1A No. 5 BCLUW softball team smacked South Hardin 10-0 in Monday’s NICL West Division tilt.

Ashton struck out five over three perfect innings and Kruse struck out three over two frames, allowing a two-out walk in the bottom of the fifth that prevented the perfect game.

Easton Swanson was 3-for-3 with an RBI to lead the Comet bats, while Kruse was 2-for-4 with a triple. Cate Nason and Kennedy Williams both finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored, as Nason drove in three runs and Williams plated two.

BCLUW visits Hudson in a cross-NICL game tonight before hosting 1A No. 6 AGWSR in a divisional showdown on Wednesday in Conrad.

AGWSR holds off G-R softball, 4-0

ACKLEY — The Gladbrook-Reinbeck softball team limited Class 1A No. 6 AGWSR to just four runs, but the Rebels only had four hits in a 4-0 loss to the Cougars in Monday’s NICL West Division match.

AGWSR (13-3, 6-2) scored single runs in the first, third, fourth and sixth innings, but it was enough to hold off Gladbrook-Reinbeck (1-9, 0-7), which had singles in four separate innings against Taryan Barrick. Barrick finished with 12 strikeouts, three walks and a hit batter.

Rachel Cooley pitched all six innings for G-R, allowing three earned runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out two.

Cooley had one of the Rebels’ four hits as well. Haleigh Berendes, Maia McLean and Lily Ehlers each had a single.

Bannister spins two-hitter for Trojans

STATE CENTER — Cameron Bannister tossed a two-hitter and the West Marshall baseball team won its fifth straight, beating South Hardin 8-1 in an NICL West Division battle on Monday night.

Bannister struck out 10 and walked three, allowing one unearned run in the top of the first inning as the Spartans (7-7, 5-4) got a jump on the Trojans. West Marshall (14-3, 8-0) answered with two runs in the home half of the first and never trailed again, piling on with five runs in the third.

Kaden Davis came away 3-for-3 with a run and two RBIs, while Nat Markle, Brayden Evertsen and Kinnick Christensen each had an RBI double and scored a run for the Trojans.

West Marshall hosts Nevada in a non-conference game tonight at Schelling Field in State Center.

Comets can’t rally past South Hardin

ELDORA — The BCLUW baseball team couldn’t hold off South Hardin as the Tigers rallied from a three-run deficit for a 6-5 victory over the Comets in Monday’s NICL West Division showdown.

South Hardin (7-5, 4-4) scored five times in the bottom of the fourth inning to overtake BCLUW for good, 5-3, and added an insurance run in the sixth that came in handy before the end. The Comets (1-10, 1-6) chased home single runs in the sixth and seventh innings to get within one before falling just short.

Both of BCLUW’s hits came in the second inning as Colton Keller singled and scored on Koty Kruse’s double, giving the Comets a 3-0 lead.

Ray Callaway took the loss on the mound for BCLUW, allowing five runs in five innings while striking out two, walking four and plunking two.

Cade Spieker had a bases-clearing double in South Hardin’s five-run fourth.