Slow start plagues Newton softball against No. 9 DCG

DALLAS CENTER — Mack Sims belted her fourth home run of the season before Chloe Swank clubbed her second of the year on Monday.

But it was too little, too late for the Newton softball team as Class 4A No. 9 Dallas Center-Grimes jumped out to an early lead and never looked back during a 12-3 home victory in Little Hawkeye Conference play.

The Mustangs led 10-0 before the Cardinals scored twice in the fifth and once in the sixth to avoid the mercy rule.

“They jumped on us quick, and we could never recover,” Newton head softball coach Kory Leiker said. “Once we settled into the game, we finished the final four innings in a tie.”

Trailing 10-0 in the top of the fifth, Sims extended the game with a two-run homer that came with two strikes and two outs.

Sims finished with three hits, one homer, one double and two RBIs. She’s batting .425 and now leads the Cardinals (7-6, 2-5 in the conference) with four bombs and 27 runs.

Swank hit a solo homer in the sixth. That was her second of the season and she added three hits, one double and one RBI. Swank leads Newton with a .477 batting average and has a team-high 20 RBIs and 34 total bases.

Hailey Sumpter finished with two hits, Ava Williams and Katelyn Lambert each had one hit and Kadance Ahn and Morgan Frehse both walked once. Peyton Durr scored one run.

“I know we can’t wipe away the first three innings, but we showed toughness and grit by not giving up and proved to ourselves that we can play with any team at any given moment,” Leiker said.

Sumpter (5-5) took the pitching loss after allowing nine earned runs on 10 hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings. She struck out four.

Lexi Frehse pitched the final 3 1/3 innings and surrendered three earned runs on six hits and two hit batters. She struck out one.

Dallas Center-Grimes (13-3, 6-1) was led by Lydia Zaruba, who had four hits and two runs. Macee Reiling added two hits and four RBIs.

The win for the Mustangs was their eighth straight over the Cardinals.