DES MOINES, IOWA – On Senior Day, Grand View delivered in dramatic fashion, mounting late comebacks in both games to sweep the conference series against Mount Mercy. Despite the cold, the bats stayed hot as both teams combined for 45 hits over the set.
GAME 1 | GRAND VIEW 8, MOUNT MERCY 3
A rough start left Grand View trailing 3-0 after Mount Mercy strung together four hits in the opening inning.
Madeline Waldorf got the start, but
Molly Breeding entered in relief and stopped the damage with a strikeout and groundout to
Olivia Kyes at third.
The Vikings loaded the bases in both the first and third innings—each sparked by Kyes singles and two HBPs to
Samantha Holbert—but couldn't cash in. The breakthrough came in the fourth as
Gabriella Taber and
Kylie Merical opened with back-to-back singles. A fielder's choice took out one runner, but
Olivia Harmon's RBI single got Grand View on the board.
Momentum fully swung in the fifth. After a Mustang single, the Vikings turned a smooth 4-6-3 double play (Merical-Kottlowski-Randall) and ended the inning with a groundout handled by
Chloe Kottlowski. At the plate, Grand View took control: Randall singled, Holbert walked, and
Reese Cooley laid down a sac bunt.
Mackenzie Meister followed with a two-RBI single and advanced on the throw. Merical added an RBI single, and Harmon plated a run to make it 5-3.
The Vikings tacked on three insurance runs in the sixth, sparked by another Randall single. Taber, Merical, and Kottlowski all had RBIs in the frame, pushing the score to the final 8-3.
Breeding stayed composed in the circle, tossing 6.2 scoreless innings. She allowed nine hits, walked none, and shut out the Mustangs the rest of the way.
GAME 2 | GRAND VIEW 5, MOUNT MERCY 4 (9 INNINGS)
Mount Mercy once again came out swinging, using two hits and two Viking errors to plate two in the first. The Mustangs added two more in the third with a pair of singles and a double to go up 4-0.
The Vikings responded in the bottom of the third as Merical doubled to left and Kottlowski singled her over. Harmon drove in Merical with an RBI groundout to cut into the lead.
Kottlowski came up big again in the fifth, ending the top half with a double play—snagging a liner and flipping it to Merical. She then led off the bottom half with a single before Harmon's sac bunt set the stage for Randall, who blasted a two-run homer to bring Grand View within one.
In the seventh, Kyes made a highlight-reel grab to help retire the side in order. Merical led off the bottom frame with a single, was moved over by a sac bunt from Kottlowski, and scored on a clutch RBI double from Kyes to tie the game at 4-4. Both teams came up empty in the eighth, though Grand View got a runner to third.
In the ninth, Kyes and Randall combined for another defensive gem—Kyes sliding to stop a grounder down the line and Randall making the scoop at first. Huisman ended the frame with a strikeout. With one out in the bottom half, Harmon reached on an error, and Kyes delivered her second clutch double of the game—this one a walk-off to score Harmon and seal the win.
Huisman went the distance, pitching all nine innings. She gave up four runs on 10 hits and struck out five.
GAME NOTES
- Olivia Kyes went 4-for-9 on the day with two doubles, including the Game 2 walk-off, and made multiple key defensive plays at third base.
- Chloe Kottlowski was a difference-maker, going 2-for-3 in Game 2 with a run and delivering multiple momentum-swinging plays, including a double play and key sac bunt.
- Nevaeh Randall finished 4-for-6 with 3 runs and 2 RBIs, launching a two-run homer in Game 2.
- Molly Breeding allowed no runs, no walks, and no errors across 6.2 innings of relief in the opener.
- Madi Huisman pitched a complete nine-inning game with five strikeouts and 14 groundouts.
- Grand View overcame early deficits in both games to earn the sweep.
UP NEXT
The Vikings host Graceland University at Richard O. Jacobson Field on Wednesday, April 9, at 3:00 and 5:00 PM.
