Even in a pair of absolute blowout victories, Marshalltown head softball coach Jason Bowers is finding ways to help his team improve. It’s not about wins and losses, after all, but rather growing the program and building toward the future.

That doesn’t mean the Bobcats don’t enjoy winning now, though.

Marshalltown scored its second doubleheader sweep of the season with Tuesday’s trouncing of Des Moines North, pummeling the Polar Bears 15-3 and 17-0 in a pair of three-inning games on Senior Night at the MHS diamond.

The Bobcats honored their four outgoing seniors — Ava Augustine, Reagan Ford, Kristin Hays and Holly Stolzman — and watched as each of them contributed with the bat in a big way during Tuesday’s Iowa Alliance Conference sweep.

“It definitely means a lot coming out and playing with all we’ve got and actually being able to win and compete a little more and put the bat on the ball,” said MHS senior Ava Augustine. “It kinda gives me reassurance that everything’s worth it and to keep working hard and it’ll pay off for sure.”

Augustine went a combined 2-for-4 with four RBIs and three runs scored during the twinbill as the Bobcats (9-27) reached nine wins for the first time since the 2017 campaign. Marshalltown closes the regular season with Thursday’s Alliance doubleheader against Waterloo East in search of the program’s first double-digit winning season since 2013.

“I’m glad we got two wins for them,” Bowers said of the seniors he inherited for his first season at the helm. “They’ve had some tough times here at Marshalltown for the last four or five years depending on how long they played, so I’m really happy for them to get that sweep.

“I don’t like blowouts like this because I think we get a little sloppy, especially the baserunning in the first game — I got a little irate with some of the stuff we were doing there — but it’s good to see a lot of smiles tonight and good to see that on Senior Night.”

Ford finished 3-for-6 with a double, an RBI and five runs scored; Hays went 3-for-5 with a triple, an RBI and three runs scored; and Stolzman was 4-for-5 with four RBIs and four runs to round out the Senior Night slugfest for MHS.

The Bobcats scored 10 runs in the first inning of both games and followed up with rallies of five and seven runs in respective games.

In the first game, Des Moines North (0-23) put a crooked number on the scoreboard for the first time all season, tallying three runs in the top of the third inning thanks to six total walks and a single off the bat of Amora McDonald.

The Polar Bears entered Tuesday’s twinbill with just two runs scored all season.

“We’ve gotta have our heads on right and paying attention no matter who we’re playing,” Bowers said. “The better teams will pick you off and we got away with some stuff I wasn’t necessarily happy with tonight, but it’s two good wins.”

Karsyn Price pitched the opener for Marshalltown, allowing just two hits but walking a total of eight while striking out four.

Eighth-grader Bella Avise finished 3-for-3 at the plate with a double, two runs scored and four RBIs to lead the Bobcats’ 15-hit onslaught. Gianna Baune, Emma Stupp, Kinsley Bowie and Ford had two hits apiece, including a triple for Stupp and doubles for Bowie and Stupp. Hays also had a triple and Claire Bohan rapped out a two-run double.

All nine Bobcat starters had at least one hit in the first game.

“That’s what I like to see,” Bowers said. “It’s not necessarily the speed of pitching we’re used to and some of the kids pull the ball so well, even against fast pitching, that I was kinda nervous over there at third base. I thought we did a good job of hitting gap-to-gap for the most part so I was definitely proud of that aspect of the game.”

In the second game, Bobcat eighth-grader Hanna Osgood tossed a one-hit shutout with two walks and one strikeout in the 17-0 shellacking. Natalia Morris had North’s lone hit, but she was erased from the basepaths when Ava Kusserow caught a line drive off the bat of Alannis Ruberte-Cruz and tagged Morris for an inning-ending, unassisted double play.

Stolzman led the Bobcats in the nightcap, going 3-for-3 with two runs scored and a pair of two-run singles. Hays was 2-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored. Kusserow hit a two-run double, while Kaelyn Coleman doubled and scored twice. Pinch-hitter Abby Janssen hit an RBI single and scored a run as well.

“I don’t like these gypes of games just because I think we lose focus,” Bowers said, “but I won’t take away from how well we did play — and I think we did play well.”

The Bobcats home to ride Tuesday’s good vibes into Thursday’s regular-season finale against a Waterloo East team they split with on June 12 in Waterloo. Marshalltown represents the Trojans’ only conference win so far this summer.

The postseason begins for Marshalltown with a July 6 regional opener at Dowling Catholic.

“Hopefully we can play well Thursday,” Bowers said. “You want to have momentum going into that Dowling game. Don’t led their (10-25) record fool you — they play the best teams in the state of Iowa in the CIML and we’re going to have to play our best ball for sure.”