STATE CENTER — The West Marshall and East Marshall softball teams both went 2-0 in Saturday’s Rose Festival Tournament, each handily beating Ballard and Marshalltown.

Who’s the champion, you ask?

That question might have a decidedly deeper meaning coming on the horizon.

East Marshall beat Ballard 8-2 and Marshalltown 4-0 in back-to-back games, while West Marshall bookended its annual tournament with wins of 7-1 over the Bombers and 10-0 in four innings over the Bobcats on Saturday during the 68th annual Rose Festival.

Softball fans got a preview glimpse of the fireworks display in town, but West Marshall (14-7) was already in the process on its home diamond. The Trojans tagged Marshalltown for eight hits and 10 runs in just three at-bats to send the Bobcats (10-10) home without a win to show for the day.

Aubree Greenwood pitched a four-hit shutout, striking out five and walking none, to lead West Marshall into another busy week of Heart of Iowa Conference play.

“We knew we’d get a couple good pitchers that we’d see and we got to see Ballard again after starting the year with them,” said Trojan head coach Jake Randall. “It was a really good opportunity for our kids to see where we were at the beginning to where we are now. Ballard faces good competition night in and night out in the Raccoon River (Conference), and just the opportunity go play them again really started our day well.”

West Marshall kicked off its season with a 4-2 loss to the Bombers (8-12) but turned the tides with a 7-1 win to kickstart Saturday’s tournament. Jenna Randall hit a two-run home run to cap the Trojans’ five-run second inning that gave the team the lead for good.

Greenwood made it stand up with a six-hitter, surrendering four doubles but only one walk while striking out four, and her defense made its only error of the day.

Olivia Randall had a two-run single, Alayna Frederick hit an RBI double and a run-scoring bunt single, and the Trojans got production from top to bottom all day long.

“At the top of our order, our kids are getting on a lot and they’ve got some speed,” Randall said. “Some other kids have got some pop and do some different things, and then the bottom of our order has really come around the last couple of weeks. They keep working hard, that’s the best part about it, and today was just a nice way to put it all together.”

Against Marshalltown, the Trojans scored three, five and two runs in their at-bats against MHS pitchers Briley Danielson and Hanna Osgood.

Ashtyn Blood had two run-scoring singles and an RBI groundout, Riley Randall had two hits and two RBIs, and Jenna Randall walked three times, stole three bases and scored each time.

Hattie McCollom, Cailyn Brown, Rachel Randall and Olivia Randall all contributed one hit, a run and at least one RBI. Rachel hit a run-scoring double and Olivia drove in two runs.

“We’ve played with our lineup a little bit and I think we’ve really got something solidified there,” coach Randall said.

Danielson was tagged for eight runs on seven hits and four walks over 1 2/3 innings for the loss, striking out one, while Osgood gave up two runs on one hit and one walk over 1 1/3 frames of relief.

Faith Sommerlot had two of Marshalltown’s four hits, while Bristol Ealy and Abby Janssen both added singles. The Bobcats failed to advance a single baserunner to third.

“The biggest takeaway is that their energy, and I think they realize this, determines their game,” MHS head coach Madaline Dalke said, “because they came out in the first game against a very, very good East Marshall team and they competed and they had great energy and they were having fun.

“I don’t know what flipped, and coming out the second game that was not there. And we talked about that, but a big component is their energy level.”

Marshalltown got a strong pitching performance from Emma Stupp against Class 2A No. 9 East Marshall, but the Mustangs (15-3) did more with the opportunities they had.

Leadoff batter Gianna Boswell was 3-for-4 with a two-out RBI single in the fourth inning and a two-out RBI double in the sixth. She was stranded in scoring position all three times, but she did her part with the bat in her hand to help produce runs.

Miyah Grabenbauer walked and scored on a wild pitch in the first inning to put the Mustangs on top to stay, as Peyton Grabenbauer struck out eight in a six-hit shutout. She walked three but got error-free defense behind her as the clutch hit avoided Marshalltown all day.

The Bobcats left 10 runners on base against the Mustangs.

“We had a lot of opportunities with East, but it’s just being able to have those key moments when we need them,” Dalke said.

Danielson went 2-for-4 with a double, but was cut down trying to advance to third to lead off the top of the fifth in a 3-0 game. Ealy, Janssen, Charlotte Reyes and Kendall Brummel all added singles for MHS, but the Bobcats were shut out for the fourth and later the fifth times this summer.

Stupp struck out 11, allowing three earned runs on seven hits and three walks.

Behind Boswell’s three-hit game, Amiya Kluck hit an RBI double and scored, while Ashtyn Wheater and Taylor Halverson added singles. Kayda Devig had a pinch-hit single and scored on Boswell’s double in the seventh.

“We really moved the ball well,” said East Marshall head coach Jary Hoskey, “we just haven’t been able to get the decisive hit at that certain time. But we’re hitting the ball well and getting decent defense and also some great pitching, and that turns into some wins.

“I’m happy where we’re at.”

And now that West Marshall has joined East Marshall in Class 2A, the two teams elected not to face each other until June 30 back in State Center — long after the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union has determined its regional brackets for the postseason playoffs this Thursday.

“That would be a reason why we didn’t play them this weekend,” coach Randall said. “Last year we played them here, we played them up at Don Bosco and we played them again over there, and that was no big deal because they’re 2A and we’re 3A.

“There’s a very distinct possibility that if we both win our pools at the Don Bosco Tournament this weekend we’ll play them Saturday, which is fine, and then we’ll turn around and have them back here the following week.”

East Marshall plays every day this week, starting Monday at Grundy Center, as Hoskey will face his daughter’s Spartan squad. Kodie (Hoskey) Sternhagen is in her first season as head coach at Grundy Center.

West Marshall is back at home Monday to face South Hamilton before entertaining PCM on Tuesday. The two teams are tied for second place in the Heart of Iowa.

Both East and West play Friday and Saturday at the Don Bosco Tournament in Gilbertville.

Marshalltown plays Iowa Alliance Conference doubleheaders Monday at Ames and Tuesday at Ottumwa before hosting Fort Dodge on Thursday and the Bobcat Classic on Friday and Saturday.