Area softball briefs

With a month left in regular-season softball, area teams are working to put themselves in the best position for the postseason.

Results from Thursday games not available at time of publication. Stats are from Bound.

Murray

The Mustangs are 7-3 overall and 1-1 in the Bluegrass - West. Their most recent win was a 7-0 defeat of Mount Ayr on Monday.

Against the Raiderettes, junior Presley VanWinkle went 3-4 at bat, all three hits doubles. She scored two runs. Senior Megan Henrichs and freshman Madison Henrichs each had two RBIs. VanWinkle pitched the shut out with 12 strikeouts.

VanWinkle leads the Mustangs on offense this season with a team-high 17 hits, 12 runs and 13 RBIs. Eighth-grader Maliya Berry adds 11 runs and Sophomore Keirsten Klein has nine RBIs. Klein leads in home runs with three of the team’s five.

From the circle, VanWinkle has struck out 53 batters in nine games pitched. Her ERA is 3.27.

Murray’s three losses come from Clarinda, Lamoni and Southeast Warren. They hosted Seymour Thursday and play at Ankeny Christian Friday.

Orient-Macksburg

The Bulldogs are 6-4 overall and 3-3 in the Bluegrass-West. Wednesday the Bulldogs were swept in a doubleheader with Ankeny Christian, but Tuesday they defeated Mormon Trail 15-2.

Against the Saints, five Bulldogs logged two runs — eighth-grader Mattison Thompson; sophomore Emma Boswell; junior Carter Osborne; freshman Brailee Shinn and freshman Marissa Cass. Senior Emma Campbell hit a homer and logged two RBIs. Boswell and Shinn also added two RBIs apiece.

Boswell leads the Bulldogs this season, going 20-29 at bat for 15 runs, four home runs and 20 RBIs. Senior Kinsey Eslinger adds 11 runs and Shinn has 10.

From the circle, eighth-grader Ella Boswell has thrown nine strikeouts in three games pitched with a team-low 1.47 ERA.

Orient-Macksburg’s four losses come from Ankeny Christian, Clarinda and Seymour. They hosted Twin Cedars Thursday and play at Murray on Tuesday.

Lenox

The Tigers are 5-7 overall and 2-3 in the Pride of Iowa. The Tigers’ last win was a 9-7 victory over Stanton Monday.

Against the Viqueens, eighth-grader Reese Reed went 3-4 at bat for three runs and an RBI. She hit a single, double and triple in the matchup. Junior Sadie Cox and eighth-grader McKinzie Menefee added two runs each. Junior Zoey Reed pitched five innings, throwing five strikeouts.

Reese Reed leads the Tigers in runs this season with 14. Cox has a team-high 14 RBIs and a home run.

From the circle, Zoey Reed has struck out 28 batters in 12 games pitched. Reese Reed has 14 strikeouts in nine games and a 4.13 ERA.

Lenox’s three Pride of Iowa losses were to Mount Ayr, Southeast Warren and Martensdale-St. Marys. Thursday the Tigers played at CAM and Friday they host Southwest Valley.

Mount Ayr

The Raiderettes are 4-3 overall and 4-1 in the Pride of Iowa. Their last win was 2-1 over Bedford last Friday, May 31.

Against the Bulldogs, junior Breya Nickle went 3-5 at bat, scoring on a home run and logging an RBI. The other run came from MaKel Jones on a hit by Keely Wasteney. Wasteney pitched eight innings, striking out six batters and allowing one run.

Aubree Clark and Nickle lead the Raiderettes this season with five runs each. Nickle has 11 RBIs and four home runs.

From the circle, Wasteney has 26 strikeouts in six games pitched for a 3.42 ERA. Sophomore Kensie Barnes has 10 strikeouts in five games, a 1.78 ERA.

Mount Ayr’s three losses are from Shenandoah, Murray and Wayne. The Raiderettes host Mount Ayr Friday.

Southwest Valley

The Timberwolves are 2-7 overall and 0-4 in the Pride of Iowa. The team started 2-0 but has lost seven consecutive games.

Against Tri-Center Monday, the Timberwolves lost 16-6. Sophomore Ada Lund and junior Morgan Shuler each logged two runs. Senior pitcher Haidyn Top threw five strikeouts.

Shuler leads the offense this season with 11 runs and eight RBIs. Though junior Sadie Groszkrueger has no runs yet this season, she has 16 hits and a team-high nine RBIs. Sophomore Mackenzie Maeder has 10 runs.

From the circle, Top has thrown out 50 batters in seven games pitched.

Southwest Valley’s two wins this season were against Stanton and East Mills. The Timberwolves played at Essex Thursday and travel to Lenox Friday.

East Union

The Eagles are 1-9 overall and 0-5 in the Pride of Iowa. Their 11-10 victory over Mormon-Trail Monday was their first win of the season.

Against the Saints, the Eagles put up eight runs in the first inning. Eighth-grader Hayleigh Cooley, freshman Kathryn Lack and sophomore Kayli Shade each had two runs in the win. Lack and Shade had two RBIs apiece. Sophomore Tristin Lear struck out seven batters in seven innings.

Shade leads the Eagles’ offense this season with eight runs and four RBIs. Sophomore Haley Willett has a team-high five RBIs. From the circle, Lear has struck out 37 batters in nine games pitched.

East Union hosted Stanton Thursday and travels to Martensdale-St. Marys Friday.