STATE CENTER — Peyton Hart hit a pair of two-run homers and Brayden Evertsen drove in three runs as the West Marshall baseball team held off Saydel for an 8-5 victory in Thursday’s non-conference clash.

Kinnick Christensen pitched five innings of relief for the win, allowing three runs on five hits, four walks and three hit batsmen while striking out five.

Hart’s two hits were both two-run blasts, while Evertsen had three hits, including a double, and three RBIS. Clay Cuva contributed a run-scoring single in his first career start.

Comets rally past South Hardin late

CONRAD — The BCLUW softball team broke loose from a 5-all tie to defeat South Hardin 9-5 on Thursday night in an NICL West Division contest.

Consecutive singles by Kennedy Williams, Kenna Paxson, Callie Swanson and Allison Engle brought in two runs to break the tie in the bottom of the fifth inning, and the Comets (3-5) tacked on two more runs in the sixth as insurance.

Relief pitcher Kiersten Kruse also spun three scoreless frames, allowing two hits, one walk and one hit batter while striking out three.

Paxson and Engle both finished with three hits, including a double for Paxson and two RBIs for Engle. Emma Averill and Williams both went 2-for-3 with a double, with Averill adding two RBIs.

Polley powers West Marshall past PCM

STATE CENTER — West Marshall leadoff batter Kalyn Polley drove in four runs and scored two herself to help lead the Trojan softball team to an 11-4 victory over PCM on Thursday night.

Polley finished 2-for-5 at the plate with a two-run single in the fourth inning and a two-run double in the fifth. She also scored both times as the Trojans (4-3) took command with a 10-1 lead.

Grace de Neui went 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI, while Renae Schaper, Josi Zahnd and Morgan Cripps each contributed two hits.

West Marshall pitcher Loran Nicholson allowed six hits and two earned runs, walking one while striking out five for the win.

BCLUW baseball falls to Belle Plaine

BEAMAN — The BCLUW baseball team outhit its opponent for the second night in a row but the Comets helped Belle Plaine put away an 11-1 triumph on Thursday night.

BCLUW pitching issued a combined eight walks and five hit batsmen as the Plainsmen (1-3) picked up their first win of the season. Colton Keller pitched 5 1/3 innings for the Comets in a losing cause, walking five while striking out three.

BCLUW’s seven hits all were singles, led by Walker Ashton with two of them. Noah Gallentine, Mason Yantis, Jack Hughes, Nick Feldpausch and Aiden Farnsworth each contributed another.

Jackson Tegeler went the distance on the mound for Belle Plaine, allowing one walk while striking out one.

South Tama doubled up by Sabers

TAMA — The South Tama County baseball team got just three hits in each game of Thursday’s WaMaC Conference doubleheader as the Trojans fell 14-0 and 4-1 to Class 3A No. 2 Central DeWitt.

The visiting Sabers (8-0) finished off the first game in six innings thanks to an eight-run eruption in the top of the sixth inning. Ten of Central DeWitt’s 11 hits were singles in the game, as Alex McAleer, Boomer Johnson and Kaiden Muhl had two hits apiece. Muhl finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs.

Mickey Wanatee, Kyler Smith and Brayden Smith accounted for STC’s hits in the loss.

Wanatee drove in the Trojans’ lone run in the second game. After back-to-back one-out walks to Matt Wiese and Brayden Smith, Wanatee singled home South Tama’s only run of the day.

Wiese and Brayden Smith had the only other hits for the Trojans (0-6).

Nevada outlasts Trojan softball in 11

NEVADA — The West Marshall softball team stranded 12 runners on base and suffered a 2-1, 11-inning loss at Nevada on Tuesday night.

West Marshall hurler Loran Nicholson struck out 10 and walked four, allowing just three hits and two unearned runs in the loss. The Trojans backed her up with 10 hits — all singles — and received five free passes but couldn’t collect the run they needed.

The host Cubs got the game-winning run in the bottom of the 11th, as Addi Vorm reached on a one-out single and scored all the way from first on a two-out throwing error.

Grace de Neui, Josi Zahnd, Kalyn Polley and Nicholson each had two hits for West Marshall, while Payton Halverson and Avery Randall both had a single.