GILMAN — The Gladbrook-Reinbeck baseball team scratched and clawed to a 5-3 victory over East Marshall in Thursday’s NICL West Division showdown.

Neither team scored more than two runs in an inning as G-R (13-8, 6-1) earned its fifth straight win. Nick Tscherter pitched 5 2/3 innings for the win, allowing three runs on five hits and two hit batsmen while striking out two. Austen Mathern got the final four outs for the save.

Caleb Egesdal and Isaac Clark had two hits apiece for the Rebels, both driving in a run. Logan Giesking was 1-for-2 with an RBI, a run and two walks, while William Kiburis, Luke Riffey, Hudson Clark and Tscherter each added singles.

Blake Neuroth took the loss for East Marshall, allowing four runs on six hits and five walks over 3 2/3 innings, striking out three. Blake Fisher gave up one run in the last 3 1/3 innings.

Connor Kriegel was 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI to lead the Mustangs. Tyler Fuller singled and drove in two runs, while Jacob Farrington and Neuroth both added singles.

Mustang softball withstands Roland-Story

ROLAND — The East Marshall softball team found just enough offense to support Morgan Neuroth’s pitching performance in a 4-1 triumph over Roland-Story on Thursday night.

Neuroth allowed one run on four hits and a walk over seven innings, striking out eight for the win.

Neither team scored until the Mustangs (6-6) got one across in the fifth and another in the sixth. Vaeda Bryan reached on an error and scored on a Mylie Rasmusson single in the fifth, and singles from Rayne McIlrath, Peyton Grabenbauer and Bryan led to a tally in the sixth.

Roland-Story got its only run in the bottom of the sixth, but the Mustangs added two insurance runs in the seventh. Rasmusson singled and Neuroth walked before a passed ball plated Rasmusson, and Ava Bringmann’s single scored Neuroth for a 4-1 lead.

West Marshall vaults past Vikings in five innings

STATE CENTER — The West Marshall softball team ended the night early with an 11-1, five-inning victory over visiting Vinton-Shellsburg (4-11) on Thursday.

Mara Tarbell surrendered an unearned run in pitching a three-hitter for the Trojans (5-7). She struck out one and walked none.

Ciera Randall was 2-for-3 with a double and four RBIs to lead the West Marshall attack. Jilliam Karsjen was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Lillian Fischer hit a two-run double while Rachel Randall, Riley Randall and Lily Zahnd each singled and scored twice.

South Tama softball gets battered by BGM

TAMA — BGM broke open a close game early with 15 unanswered runs for an 18-2 non-conference win over the South Tama softball team on Thursday night.

The Bears (8-8) piled up 16 hits, led by Laila Morrison going 4-for-5 with a double and three RBIs. Morrison pitched all seven innings for the win, hitting one batter while striking out four.

South Tama (0-13) got singles from Alondra Bolanos-Lupian and Madison Wiese, and a two-run triple from Kailiee Keen in the bottom of the first inning. Isabelle Johannsen and Millie Mathes-Henle scored on Keen’s hit.

Samantha Schneider took the loss, allowing 11 earned runs on seven walks and four hit batters. She struck out one.

No. 11 Collins-Maxwell blanks BCLUW softball

COLLINS — Class 1A No. 11 Collins-Maxwell scored four runs in the bottom of the third inning and beat the BCLUW softball team 5-0 in Thursday’s Iowa Star Conference South Division clash.

BCLUW (5-5, 5-3) got four hits in the loss, including a pair of doubles for Raegan Crawford. Cassie Nason and Morgan Bergman both had singles, but the Comets were retired on strikeouts 14 times by C-M junior Erica Houge.

Klayre Gallentine pitched all seven innings in a losing cause, allowing five runs on 11 hits and one walk while striking out four Spartans (11-2, 9-1).

Ninth-ranked Trojans take two from Norsemen

STATE CENTER — The Class 2A No. 9 West Marshall baseball team ran its win streak to nine in a row with Wednesday’s doubleheader sweep of Roland-Story (6-9, 2-5) in a Heart of Iowa Conference twinbill.

Grayson Shaver pitched a complete-game two-hitter in the opener, striking out four while walking a total of four. Owen Siegert was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, while Holden Simms hit a double and drove in three runs for the Trojans (14-2, 8-0).

Noah DeSotel pitched 4 2/3 innings for the win in game two, giving up an unearned run on three hits and four total walks while striking out eight. Beckham DeSotel struck out the only batter he faced before West Marshall scored its 11th and final run in the bottom of the fifth.

Beckham was 2-for-3 with a double, two runs and two RBIs, while AJ Dee hit a double and drove in a pair. Evan Siegert and Caden Pfantz each singled and drove in a run.

Spartans slide past South Hardin, 6-0

ELDORA — Tate Jirovsky and Ryker Thoren combined on a four-hit shutout and the Grundy Center baseball team beat South Hardin 6-0 in Wednesday’s NICL West Division clash.

Jirovsky struck out seven and walked two over six scoreless innings for the win.

Offensively, Tanner Laube, Colin Gordon, Thoren and Jirovsky had one hit apiece. The Spartans (8-1, 5-0) took advantage of eight walks from South Hardin pitching to counteract their 12 strikeouts. Ryder Slifer drove in two runs and scored twice for Grundy Center.

Comets can’t connect against Janesville

BEAMAN — Gabe Meaney pitched a six-inning no-hitter to help Janesville beat BCLUW 13-0 in Wednesday’s Iowa Star Conference matchup.

Meaney struck out 12, walked one and hit a batter but prevented the Comets (1-9) from circling the bases. Meaney and Peyton Trees each homered for the Wildcats (6-3).

Owen Myers allowed five runs — one earned — in 4 2/3 innings to take the loss for BCLUW. He allowed five hits, two walks and one hit batsman while striking out seven.

Redhawks suffer decisive defeat to Dons

TRAER — The North Tama baseball team couldn’t overcome the 12 total walks issued to Don Bosco as the Dons scored a 13-2, six-inning win over the Redhawks in Iowa Star Conference action here Wednesday.

Kaiden Knaack, Landon Frost and Jacob Thiry had two hits apiece to lead Don Bosco (12-3). David Schmitz pitched five innings for the win, allowing seven hits and three walks while striking out five.

Josh Dostal was 2-for-3 to lead the North Tama offense. Kayler Morris, Michael Schrier, Tyler Popelka, Ryan Hosek and Gavin Rausch each hit singles for the Redhawks (5-4). Morris and Rausch both drove in a run.

Denver’s early homer holds off East Marshall

GILMAN — Denver’s two runs in the top of the first inning were enough to outlast the East Marshall baseball team on Wednesday night.

The Mustangs (2-10) got their lone run in the bottom of the fifth, but Chase McEwan’s two-run homer in the first stood up for the win.

East Marshall’s Connor Kriegel allowed two runs on three hits while walking five and hitting a batter in the losing cause. He struck out three.

Blake Neuroth, Alex Jacobson and Kriegel each had a single, with Jacobson scoring on Neuroth’s hit in the fifth.

Neuroth spins one-hitter in Mustang victory

LE GRAND — Morgan Neuroth pitched a one-hit shutout and the East Marshall softball team smashed Denver 12-0 in four innings here Wednesday night.

Neuroth struck out six and walked none, allowing only a leadoff single to Denver’s Alayna Akers to start the game. The next 12 Cyclones were retired in order.

Bailey Grant finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs to lead the Mustangs (5-6). Peyton Grabenbauer had two hits, including a two-run double, as East Marshall scored six runs in the first, four in the third and two in the fourth to end the game early.

Bailey Nuss took the pitching loss for Denver (4-10).

Wildcats capitalize to take down Comets

CONRAD — Four errors were too much for the BCLUW softball team to overcome as Janesville scored a 5-2 win over the Comets in Wednesday’s Iowa Star Conference contest.

Only two runs came earned to BCLUW pitcher Klayre Gallentine, who allowed five hits and three walks while striking out six.

Raegan Crawford was 2-for-4 with a triple and a run scored, while Cameron Bergman was 2-for-3 for the Comets. Maliah Gunderson added a single and reached twice on errors.

Janesville winning pitcher Zoey Barnes struck out 11 and walked one, and had two hits to lead the Wildcats.

Free passes foil Redhawks against Don Bosco

TRAER — The North Tama softball team managed just two hits in an 11-0, five-inning loss to Don Bosco in Wednesday’s Iowa Star Conference contest.

Faith Dvorak and Lydia Taylor both hit singles for the Redhawks (2-6), who only struck out twice. Winning pitcher Cali Weber allowed only one walk but got plenty of help from her defense.

Sydnee Bliss took the loss in the circle for North Tama, allowing nine earned runs on 12 hits and four walks. She struck out one.

Caelor Yoder was 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and three runs scored for the Dons (10-4).

Grundy Center can’t hang with No. 13 Tigers

ELDORA — The Class 2A No. 13 South Hardin softball team needed just three innings to dispatch Grundy Center 12-0 in Wednesday’s NICL West Division game.

Allison Koch had a double while Carlie Willis and Aubree Mundt both hit singles for the Spartans (4-9, 1-3). Pitchers Maddy Hendershot and Lucy Lebo combined to give up 12 runs on just five hits but 13 walks in 2 1/3 innings. Lebo struck out four of the five outs she got.

Alli Sheldahl was 2-for-2 with a double and four RBIs to lead the Tigers (14-4, 4-1). Hailey Rosonke struck out three and walked none for the win.