SULLY — The West Marshall baseball team rolled out a pair of first-time varsity pitchers and played right with Lynnville-Sully, but the Trojans couldn’t overcome a handful of defensive miscues in a 9-7 non-conference loss on Tuesday night.

Freshmen Nick Thompson and Antonio McKinney combined to pitch the first 3 2/3 innings and senior Josh Larsen made his first appearance on the mound this season, but the Trojans (9-3) couldn’t keep a 7-6 lead after three unearned runs came across for the host Hawks (4-10) in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Cameron Bannister hit his first career home run for West Marshall, while Kaden Davis had two hits, including a double, and an RBI. Ryan Reyerson singled and drove in three runs in the loss.

Ranked Hawks hold off West Marshall

SULLY — The Class 1A No. 12 Lynnville-Sully softball team withstood West Marshall’s stern challenge, topping the Trojans 8-5 in Tuesday’s non-conference clash.

West Marshall (5-7) suffered its fourth loss in its last five games, falling behind 4-0 before cutting the margin in half on Renae Schaper’s third home run of the season — a two-run shot in the top of the third.

Schaper finished 2-for-4 with a double, a homer and two RBIs, while leadoff batter Kayla Cripps was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI single. Avery Randall had three singles and Karisa Blocker had two more hits for the Trojans, while Clara Dee and Payton Halverson both had a double.

Loran Nicholson struck out three and did not walk a batter, surrendering 16 hits in the loss.

Carson Fisk homered among her three hits for the host Hawks (14-4).

Ashton spins gem as Comets prevail

CONRAD — Bailey Ashton struck out 15 in a two-hit shutout as the Class 1A No. 5 BCLUW softball team edged West Marshall 1-0 on Monday night.

Ashton allowed a fifth-inning double to Payton Halverson, a seventh-inning single to Renae Schaper and a walk to Karisa Blocker, while the BCLUW (12-6, 5-0) offense got her the run support she needed with a single tally in the bottom of the first. Kiersten Kruse doubled, stole third and scored on a bunt by Olivia Hughes for the only run of the game.

Hughes finished 2-for-3 while Kruse, Easton Swanson, Lili Wilson and Jaelyn Allen each added hits for the Comets.

Loran Nicholson allowed six hits and no walks, striking out three in the loss for West Marshall (5-6, 1-4).

Bobcats blanked twice by Dodgers

FORT DODGE — The Marshalltown softball team suffered double defeat on Tuesday at Fort Dodge, falling 12-0 in three innings twice to the Class 5A No. 4 Dodgers in a CIML Iowa Conference twinbill.

The Bobcats (4-8, 0-4) did not have a batter reach base in the first game as Fort Dodge’s Haley Wills struck out two in a three-inning perfect game. Six of the Dodgers’ 12 hits went for extra bases against MHS hurlers Avery Mull and Ella Grife.

In the nightcap, Autumn Finch was hit by a pitch with two outs in the second inning to account for the first Bobcat baserunner, and Marina Rosalez walked with one out in the top of the third. Gabby Himes reached on a fielder’s choice that retired Rosalez at second, and that’s all MHS could manage.

The Dodgers (11-2, 2-2) had another 11 hits against Kailee Pollard, four of them going for doubles.