GRUNDY CENTER — The East Marshall baseball team surrendered the game’s only run in the bottom of the fifth inning as Grundy Center got past the Mustangs 1-0 in Monday’s NICL West Division showdown.

The Mustangs (3-4, 1-2) had as many hits as the host Spartans (3-1, 1-1) but couldn’t convert them into runs. Logan Bowie and Jordan Swift both went 2-for-3 at the plate and Wesley Hamor had a single for East Marshall, but Grundy Center pitcher Brayden Sawyer struck out nine in a complete-game shutout.

Dayne Zinkula drove in Tate Jirovsky as the game’s only run in the fifth. Bowie was the hard-luck loser, allowing four hits and five walks in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out two. Carter Anderson and Blain Augspurger pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.

Davis homers, Siegert silences PCM in league play

PRAIRIE CITY — Kaden Davis hit a solo home run and drove in two of West Marshall’s three runs in a 3-1 Trojan victory over PCM in Monday’s Heart of Iowa Conference clash.

Davis had two hits and two RBIs, Dru Wilder had two hits and an RBI, and winning pitcher Owen Siegert added two singles. Siegert struck out 10 and walked two over six innings, allowing five hits and one earned run. Clay Cuva and Kinnick Christensen combined for the final inning on the mound for the Trojans (7-4, 4-0).

BCLUW baseball falls at AGWSR, 9-0

ACKLEY — The AGWSR baseball team got its first NICL West Division win of the season with Monday’s 9-0 blanking of BCLUW. The visiting Comets (1-5, 0-3) came up with just six singles and made too many errors to atone for. Losing pitcher Ray Callaway had two hits to lead BCLUW, while Colton Keller, Noah Gallentine, Tucker Wall and Jack Hughes each hit a single against the Cougars (2-3, 1-1).

Mustang softball stunned by Spartans

GRUNDY CENTER — The Grundy Center softball team defeated East Marshall for the first time in more than a decade with a come-from-behind, 2-1 triumph in Monday’s NICL West Division contest.

East Marshall (2-5, 1-2) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning thanks to Morgan Neuroth’s one-out single, a Spartan error and a wild pitch.

Neuroth held Grundy Center (5-3, 1-1) in check until the sixth, when the host Spartans capitalized on a walk and an error to plate the tying run. Allison Beenken’s one-out single up the middle drove in courtesy runner Blessing Edittu as the eventual game-winning run.

Neuroth accounted for East Marshall’s only two hits against Emma Beck, who struck out 16 and walked three in the win. Beenken had the Spartans’ only two hits off Neuroth, who struck out 10 and walked three.

PCM puts the boots to West Marshall, 13-1

MONROE — PCM batted around in each of the first two innings as the Mustangs defeated the West Marshall softball team 13-1 in four innings on Monday night.

PCM (5-5, 3-1) pushed four runs across in the first inning and six more in the second on its way to the Heart of Iowa Conference win. Five of the Mustangs’ 12 hits went for extra bases, led by Joslin Briles, who was 3-for-3 with a double, a home run and four RBIs.

West Marshall (2-7, 1-5) managed just one run, as Kalyn Polley led off the game with a single and later scored on Clara Dee’s groundout. Dee added a double in the third inning for the Trojans’ only other hit.

PCM’s Paige Steenhoek walked two and struck out one in the four-inning win. West Marshall’s Madeline Karsjen was ticketed for 11 earned runs on 12 hits and two walks, striking out one.