Randall homers in Vikings sweep

DES MOINES — Nevaeh Randall’s towering two-run home run over the center field fence helped Grand View take a firm hold on second place in the Heart of America Conference softball race Wednesday with a doubleheader sweep of Benedictine College.

Randall, Creston’s career home run leader, capped Grand View’s five-run outburst in the sixth inning of Wednesday’s nightcap to break a 3-3 deadlock.

“Today wasn’t my day at the start, so I just wanted to keep the rally going,” said Randall, Grand Views’ starting third baseman. “My mindset was, first pitch. It was the first pitch, a little outside and pretty much down the middle. I think she missed by accident. The wind was pushing out a little today, so that was nice.”

It was Randall’s fifth home run of the season, with her 31 RBIs ranking second on the team this season as the third batter in coach Lou A. Yacinich’s lineup. She had six home runs and nine homers in her first two seasons with the Vikings.

Second seed

Teammate Elle Nelsen hit her sixth homer in walkoff fashion in game one, as the Vikings prevailed 2-1 in eight innings. Both teams came in tied for second in the conference at 16-6, behind league leader Missouri Baptist (21-3). The sweep was important in securing the No. 2 seed for the upcoming conference tournament May 1-3, where the champion automatically advances to the NAIA national tournament.

“This should secure second,” Randall said. “Friday matters, too. We would need at least a split against Mount Mercy because Benedictine swept them.”

The Vikings play Mount Mercy in Cedar Rapids Friday before hosting Clarke University Saturday and St. Xavier in non-conference play Sunday prior to the league tournament.

Grand View won the conference tournament last year before advancing to the NAIA World Series. The Vikings played in the opening round of the national tournament two years ago when Randall was named the Heart of America Freshman of the Year. She has already been named first team all-conference twice as a first baseman.

Position change

This season Randall has returned to her high school experience on the left side of the infield, when she played third base and shortstop for the Panthers. With Randall at third base, it’s a power-packed corner infield for the Vikings as junior Alexia Jarrett of Ankeny has taken over at first base with a team-leading nine homers and 34 RBIs.

“Alexia is really good,”m Randall said. “I played first base my first two years here, but then we lost our good third baseman going into this season. He (Yacinich) had a lot of confidence in me to go back to third like I did in high school. It was an adjustment, because it’s more competitive at this level. I think I’ve found a groove and I like it.”

Yacinich said Randall has become a team leader in her third year as a varsity starter.

“Nevaeh is maturing in a great way both on and off the field, she’s definitely expanded her leadership role this year,” he said. “We are fortunate to have her here at Grand View.”

Going into Wednesday’s games, Randall was batting .325 with four homers and 29 RBIs, ranking second on the team with eight doubles. She also is 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts.

SW Iowa pitchers

A former opponent of Randall from her Panther days, Molly Breeding of Winterset, was the winning pitcher in Wednesday’s nightcap. Breeding pitched four innings of relief for starter Caedence Risius, ending with seven strikeouts and no walks with only two hits allowed.

Madeline Waldorf of Van Meter went all eight innings in winning the opener, with 14 strikeouts and no walks while allowing four hits. Losing pitcher Bailey Selvage yielded just six Grand View hits after being named the conference pitcher of the week last week. The game was a 0-0 standoff through five innings.

Going into the conference tournament, league leader Missouri Baptist is ranked No. 8 in NAIA nationally and Grand View is No. 15. Benedictine has received votes. Randall thinks the Vikings could snare an at-large berth in the national tourney if they don’t gain the automatic berth that comes with the tournament title.

“I think with the seedings nationally we probably have the votes to get into the opening round, but to get in for sure we want to win the tournament,” said Randall, a nursing major at Grand View.

The 2025 Grand View softball team (42-16) had the highest finish in school history, exciting the NAIA World Series as one of the top five teams in the country, beating the No. 1-ranked team in the opening round regional.