Cougar softball finishes a strong first season with doubleheader split

By Kaleigh Tull, NICC work-study student

The Cougar softball team welcomed the Marshalltown Tigers to Farley Park for one final series of the season on April 30. NICC swept the doubleheader last week at Marshalltown, but a slow start in the final series resulted in a split on the day.

GAME ONE (Marshalltown)

The Cougars dropped game one of their final doubleheader of the season with a 17-2 loss to the Tigers. The Cougars started off strong, scoring both of their runs in the first inning. Natalie Nenne led the offense with a double, and Rylee Madden added an RBI to give the Cougars the early lead. After the first, they struggled to keep things going on offense and couldn't add any more runs. That combined with three offense-heavy innings from the Tigers proved large in a tough loss.

Game one performers:
Nenne - 2B
Madden - RBI

GAME TWO (Marshalltown)

After a loss in game one, the Cougars ended their season on a high note with a 6-0 win in their final game. They got on the board with two runs in the third, then stayed consistent by adding one in the fourth, one in the fifth and two more in the sixth.

The offense was led by Nenne and Adelyn Miller, who each hit a home run and recorded two runs batted in (RBI), while Kyleigh McConnell added a double and an RBI. In a special moment, sophomore Nenne's final at-bat as a Cougar was a homerun. In the circle, Addison Murilla threw a complete game shutout, throwing seven innings and allowing just two hits with thirteen strikeouts.

Game two performers:
Nenne - HR, 2 RBI
Murilla - 7 IP, 2 H, 13 K