Lancers Walk It Off in the 7th to Defeat Hastings, 3-2
YANKTON, S.D. – The Mount Marty University softball team delivered a thrilling comeback win on Wednesday afternoon, walking it off in the bottom of the seventh to defeat GPAC rival Hastings College, 3-2, at Sertoma Park.
Trailing 2-1 entering their final at-bat, the Lancers strung together timely hits and capitalized on a pair of Hastings miscues. With one out, Megan Toplovich drew a walk and Janeah Castro followed with a single to set the stage. Two batters later, Alyssa Sosky came through with a two-RBI single to center, plating Toplovich and Castro for the game-winning runs.
By the Numbers
| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
R |
H |
E |
| Hastings |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
| Mount Marty |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
7 |
0 |
Lancer Leaders
-
Janeah Castro: 2-for-3, double, RBI, run
-
Kayleen Jacinto: 3-for-4, double
-
Alyssa Sosky: 1-for-4, 2 RBI (game-winning hit)
-
Makayla Hudson: 1-for-3
-
McKenzie Gray (W, 1-0): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 7 K, 4 BB
Gray earned another win on the season, tossing a complete game and striking out seven. She allowed just three hits and didn't surrender a hit over the final four innings.
Hastings Highlights
Game Two
Lancers Erupt for 15 Runs in Five-Inning Rout of Hastings
YANKTON, S.D. – A nine-run third inning and a red-hot offense powered the Mount Marty Lancers to a dominant 15–7 win over Hastings College in a run-rule victory on Wednesday. With the win, the Lancers improved to 18-16 overall and 9-7 in GPAC play.
The game featured fireworks at the plate as Mount Marty racked up 15 hits, with every starter reaching base. Kayleen Jacinto and Lilinoe Nihi led the charge, combining for 6 hits and 5 RBIs, while Janeah Castro blasted a three-run homer in the fifth to put the game out of reach.
By the Numbers
| Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
R |
H |
E |
| Hastings |
1 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
7 |
13 |
1 |
| Mount Marty |
1 |
1 |
9 |
0 |
4 |
15 |
15 |
0 |
Lancer Highlights
-
Kayleen Jacinto: 3-for-3, HR, 2B, 2 RBIs, 3 runs
-
Lilinoe Nihi: 3-for-3, 3B, 3 RBIs
-
Janeah Castro: 1-for-3, HR, 3 RBIs
-
Regan Garry: 2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBIs
-
Alyssa Sosky & Makayla Hudson: 2 hits and 2 RBIs combined
The Lancers' nine-run third inning featured extra-base hits from Jacinto, Nihi, and Hudson, plus heads-up baserunning that kept pressure on Hastings throughout.
In the Circle
Makayla Graunke (1-0) earned her first win of the season in relief, tossing 1.2 innings and allowing two runs on five hits. The Lancers' trio of pitchers held Hastings to just seven runs despite 13 hits, stranding multiple runners in key spots.
Looking Ahead
Mount Marty will aim to carry this momentum into the next stretch of conference play as they continue to jockey for position in the GPAC standings.
