Bullard, Texas / Paris, Texas
A strong finish highlighted the Reivers weekend trip to the Lone Star State. After four games on the wrong end of the scoreboard to NJCAA #4 Tyler Junior College, Iowa Western found themselves on the right side of the win column against Paris JC on the trip's final day.
The Apaches of TJC played like a Top 5 squad to bookend the series in games one and four as they topped IWCC, 7-0 and 11-1. The middle games of the series certainly had the Reivers seeing light at the end of the tunnel as they tempered the Apache attack in a 5-2 defeat in game two and, were it not for six unearned runs in game three, may have pulled out a victory in a 9-7 loss. In the four games, second baseman Rebecca Barnett was 7-13 with three doubles and the first home run of her season. She drove in a team-high four runs in the series, while first baseman Madysen Kim also went deep for her first homer of the season. Sophomore pitcher Julie Katz struck out nine in a pair of appearances in the circle.
On Sunday the Reivers battled the Dragons of Paris to close the trip and the bats finally came to life. Coach Ben Greer's squad struck for crooked numbers in the 4th, 6th and 7th innings of a 12-3 victory in game one. Sophomore centerfielder Natalie Gunn scored three runs from the leadoff spot, while freshman shortstop Chloe Brown plated four more from the bottom of the order. Barnett continued her torrid weekend, driving in five runs as she collected two extra-base hits (double, homer) in a 2-4 day. Not to be outdone, catcher Katriana Bain went 2-5 with a double and three runs driven in, while rightfielder Aujenai Gregory added her second homer of the season and drove in a pair. Katz allowed only four Dragon hits and struck out 10 in a complete-game effort.
It was more of the same for the Reivers in game two vs PJC. The Reivers struck right away when Gunn scored the first of her three runs in game two as IWCC scored in all but the 2nd inning. PJC did their best to stay in the game as they took the lead back in the second inning and added to it in the third, but IWCC rallied back. Brook Melnychuk did double duty as the starting pitcher, driving in three with her second homer of the season. Bain also collected multiple RBI from the three hole. In the game, the Reivers were issued 17 free bases with five Reivers walking three times each (Gunn, Bain, Gregory, Kim and Brown). Katz picked up her second win of the day, coming on in relief to record four strikeouts in a shutout appearance.
The Reivers have a leap day appearance in Miami, Oklahoma scheduled before returning home for the opener at the Reiver Sports Complex on Friday, March 6th.
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