Mustangs split with Defenders, Raiders on opening weekend

SIOUX CENTER, Iowa -- The Mount Mercy softball team swept Dordt, 14-4 and 5-1, on Friday and dropped both games of a Saturday doubleheader against 15th-ranked Northwestern, 9-2 and 3-2, at American State Bank Sports Complex.

Allie Poston, Sarah Heick, and Sam Lee were the offensive leaders for the Mustangs. In four games, Poston hit .500 with two home runs and four runs batted in. Heick batted .444 and scored three runs while Lee hit .385 with a double and two RBIs.

Kalli Minger and Alyssa McElvain each went 1-1 on the mound for the Mustangs. In 10 innings of work, Minger allowed four earned runs on 13 hits with 11 strikeouts, while McElvain, who went 13-1/3 innings, surrendered four earned runs on 16 hits with six strikeouts. Leann VandeVoorde also tossed three inning of three-hit ball with a pair of strikeouts.

Mount Mercy will be in action again this weekend in Austin, Minn. The Mustangs face Waldorf at 2:00 pm and Viterbo at 4:00 pm.