- Sophomore Morgan Neuroth and freshman Cali Richards lead DMACC with two hits apiece
- Richards, freshmen Mackenzie Mohler and sophomore Mo Purdy drive in the DMACC runs
- Sophomore Jacki Baas suffers the loss
Any hopes the DMACC softball team had of winning a national championship took a hit when the Bears dropped an 8-3 decision to Kirkwood Community College (KCC) today in the quarterfinals of the 2026 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Softball World Series at Tyger River Park in Spartanburg, S.C.
KCC, the tournament's No. 1 seed, got the win behind a three-run rally in the second inning and five runs in the third. DMACC, the No. 9 seed, fell to 55-11 and saw its 21-game winning streak come to an end.
KCC, a DMACC rival in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC), has defeated the Bears in four of five matchups this season.
A two-run double from Shannon Flynn and a run-scoring single from Mischa Reiners got the Eagles their 3-0 lead in the second and Brecklin De La Rosa and Alley Gorsh Highlighted the third-inning rally with a solo home run and a bases-loaded triple respectively.
DMACC got on the board in the top of the fourth when sophomore Erin Ades of Boone reached on a two-base error and scored on a single by sophomore Mo Purdy of Des Moines.
The Bears added two runs in the fifth. Sophomore Morgan Neuroth of LeGrand led off with a base hit and moved to second on a single by sophomore Macee Reiling of Dallas Center. Freshman Mackenzie Mohler of West Des Moines followed with a base hit, sending Neuroth to third and she scored when the ball was mishandled in the KCC outfield. Reiling, who moved to third on the play, scored on a sacrifice fly by Purdy.
DMACC, which had base runners in every inning, threatened with two runners on base in each of the sixth and seventh innings but failed to score.
Neuroth and freshman Cali Richards of Des Moines paced DMACC's eight-hit attack with two hits apiece.
Sophomore Jacki Baas of Bondurant was the Bears' starting pitcher and suffered the loss, her fifth against 25 wins. She pitched two innings, allowing four runs on four hits with three strikeouts and a walk. Sophomore Brooklyn Baumgardner of Slater threw four innings, allowing four runs on two hits with two strikeouts and four walks.
The DMACC softball team will face Louisburg Community College (LCC) in an elimination game at 6 p.m. today. LCC is the tournament's No. 15 seed.