Pride drop both ends of road doubleheader at Mount Mercy

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Taking on their first Heart of America Athletic Conference North opponent of the 2025 schedule, the Clarke University softball team dropped both ends of their Wednesday evening doubleheader at Mount Mercy University.

Both games were low scoring in nature as the Mustangs came an inning away from earning shutout victories in both with a 4-1 win in the opener followed by a 2-0 win to close out the day with the Pride's lone run on the day coming in the top of the sixth on a Kynadee Harris RBI double as one of her two hits in the opener.

Both CU starting pitchers pitched six inning complete games first with Meredith Gatto allowing four earned runs on eight hits with eight strikeouts in the opener while Payge Pyszka allowing two earned runs on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

The Mustangs scored a run each in the first and third innings of both games with an RBI double and a solo home run respectively coming as the first inning runs then their two-run leads coming on an error in game one and another RBI double in game two.

That would be enough for each Mount Mercy pitcher with game one starter Ashley Webb tossing a one-run complete game allowing six hits and two walks but striking out 12 CU hitters then Maggie McNally's shutout in game two saw her strike out eight batters and allow just two hits and two walks.

Clarke softball will be back on the road for their next matchup when they travel to Oskaloosa, Iowa to face William Penn University on Friday, Apr. 4 for a game one first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m. CT between the Pride and Statesmen.