LE GRAND — It harkened back feelings of just a few years ago, when East Marshall and BCLUW were duking it out for NICL West Division supremacy.

This softball game had no impact on conference standings, however. It was just two good teams squaring off near the end of the regular season.

Class 2A No. 15 East Marshall made BCLUW’s only error count against it by scoring twice in the bottom of the first inning en route to a 2-1 victory in Wednesday’s next-to-last regular season game for both teams.

The Mustangs (23-9) cashed in on an early bobble and withstood nearly everything the Comets (19-7) could throw at them the rest of the way on Senior Night.

East Marshall junior hurler Peyton Grabenbauer made sure that wasn’t much.

Grabenbauer allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out 11, helping the Mustangs win for the second time on Wednesday. East Marshall opened the day with a 17-0 drubbing of South Hardin in Eldora, then returned home for its first game against BCLUW since 2023.

East Marshall ran its win streak in the series to eight games — the first six of which were as NICL West Division rivals.

“I just love playing BCLUW,” said Mustangs head coach Jary Hoskey. “It used to be a huge rival when Mr. Dave Lee was (coaching) there, but they’re not in the conference anymore, but I enjoy playing them. They’re fun to play against and they’re very competitive.”

BCLUW seemed poised to strike first, starting with Cassie Nason’s leadoff single in the top of the first inning. Klayre Gallentine bunted her up a base, Eden Ladehoff flied out to left, and a wild pitch pushed Nason to third.

Raegan Crawford went all the way to second after drawing a walk, but Grabenbauer got Grace Farnsworth to pop up to shortstop Makayla Hala for the final out.

East Marshall turned the defense stand into momentum, which grew when leadoff batter Gianna Boswell’s pop-up was dropped to start the bottom of the first. Miyah Grabenbauer bunted her over, and Ashtyn Wheater blooped a run-scoring single to right-center field.

Peyton Grabenbauer followed with an RBI double to the gap in right, but her courtesy runner Amiya Kluck was eventually stranded on third as Ladehoff and her defense escaped the jam. Fill-in first baseman Raine Sireno made a tough catch up against the fence in front of her team’s dubout, and Ladehoff got a strikeout to get out of the early pickle.

East Marshall managed just three hits the rest of the way and never got as far as third base again against Ladehoff, who induced a lot of weak contact. The hard shots were handled by Nason in center field, including two running catches in the bottom of the fifth to prevent the Mustangs from expanding their lead. Third baseman Sarah Garber gloved two line drives in the fourth inning as well, helping the Comets make their stand defensively.

BCLUW got its only run in the top of the fourth when Ladehoff led off with a triple to the fence in right. White scored in her place when Crawford grounded out, but the Comets got just one more baserunner the rest of the game.

Seven of BCLUW’s last 11 outs were strikeouts by Grabenbauer.

“It’s always good to play these teams going into the postseason,” said Comet head coach Megan Yantis. “We’re seeing all these pitchers, and it just helps us get ready for that postseason.

“I wish we would have hit a little bit more. I told the girls that I wish we would put the ball in play and challenged their defense a little bit more.”

Both teams were in that same boat.

“We’ve got a long ways to go yet,” said Hoskey, “but I couldn’t ask for a better group of seniors to lead this team. They stuck with me, stuck with the program — some of them for five years — and the leadership and the no-drama and the hard work, they have stood out. When down, they lead us; when I’ve asked them to do something, they’ve applied; and I’m happy to be their coach.”

Miyah Grabenbauer finished with two hits, including a leadoff double in the bottom of the third, to lead the Mustangs. Hala, one of four seniors (Delaney Ryan, Bailey Grant and Vaeda Bryan), singled in the second.

Ladehoff finished allowing one earned run on five hits and a walk, striking out three in a hard-luck loss.

“After that first inning we kind of settled in,” Yantis said. “That’s another learning experience going into the postseason — we can’t have that one inning, and we’ve got to be ready to play from ball one.”

Ladehoff also had two of BCLUW’s three hits and Nason led off the game with the other.

The Comets close the regular season at home tonight against 3A No. 4 PCM, while East Marshall hosts Newton.

East Marshall 17, South Hardin 0, 4 innings

ELDORA — Ashtyn Wheater homered to help lead the Class 2A No. 15 East Marshall softball team to a 17-0, four-inning victory over South Hardin in Wednesday morning’s make-up game to close out NICL West Division play.

Wheater was 3-for-3 with a two-run homer as part of the Mustangs’ six-run third inning. She finished with three RBIs and two runs scored.

East Marshall (22-9, 7-2) finished one game back of Grundy Center (8-1) in the NICL West race.

South Hardin (3-19, 0-9) issued 11 walks and hit-by-pitches to help the Mustangs to three big offensive innings. East Marshall scored four times in the second, six in the third and seven in the fourth.

Delaney Ryan went 2-for-3 with a double, three RBIs and three runs scored, and fellow senior Vaeda Bryan walked three times and scored three times.

Peyton Grabenbauer allowed just two hits while striking out eight for the win.