Lady Vikings sweep MNU

The Missouri Valley College softball team used power and pitching to claim its third Heart of America Conference doubleheader sweep in five outings Saturday.

The Lady Vikings got a two-run homer from senior Heather Sliger to claim a 3-2 victory in the first of two games against visiting MidAmerica Nazarene, then senior Alana Bentz posted her second shutout of the season for a 5-0 win in the nightcap.

The Lady Pioneers (23-17, 7-8 HAAC) took a 2-0 lead in the early game on RBI singles by sophomore Ashley Salter in the third inning and sophomore Jenna Klick in the fourth. However, they squandered multiple opportunities throughout the contest, stranding 12 runners in all -- including bases loaded in the third and two in three other frames, with the go-ahead run left in scoring position in the seventh.

Junior Wendy Garcia clocked a solo homer in the sixth, but Valley still trailed when she singled with one out in the sixth. Sliger was up next, and nailed a 2-1 pitch -- sending it over the left-field fence for the lead.

That gave junior Tatum Hathcock, who battled through a 112-pitch start -- yielding 12 hits, but walking only one batter and striking out six -- her 13th victory of the season.

While Hathcock has logged over 131 of the team's 246 innings, Bentz made only her second start. But like her first one, an 8-0 shutout of York (Neb.) a month earlier at the Tucson Invitational, she didn't give up much -- only five singles and a pair of walks.

Valley got on the board in the bottom of the second with a two-run single by freshman Cassidy Baggett. Junior Sydney Kaneshiro smashed a solo homer in the third, her third round-tripper in the last five games.

The Lady Vikings added insurance with two runs in the sixth. Senior Kimberly Fuller doubled and came in on senior Lindsey Stapp's single. A double by senior Esperanza Reyes got Stapp to third base, from where she scored on a ground ball.

Valley (22-15, 7-3) is in third place in the league standings, with four twinbills to play this week -- two due to postponements, including today's tilt at Baker.