Mt. Mercy Softball

Yoder welcomes big softball class to Mt. M

Larry Yoder is extra-busy these days as the interim director of athletics at Mount Mercy University, serving as the temporary boss until a new person is hired sometime this fall.

He's also the softball coach at Mount Mercy and is anxious to begin preparations for the next season, especially with 14 brand-new freshmen in the program for the 2016 campaign.

Yoder has compiled a 161-120 record in nine years with the Mustangs. He's serving as the interim A.D. in place of Scot Reisinger, who accepted a new position at Mount Mercy this month as the dean of adult programs.

That means Yoder is juggling two full-time jobs during a busy period at the school as Mount Mercy prepares to move full-speed into the Heart of America Conference, continues with plans for the Plaster Athletic Conference and debates the merits of adding a football program.

"I've already found out in the first four days that this is really time-consuming, which I knew it would be," Yoder said this week, sitting in Reisinger's old office at the Hennessey Recreation Center.

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Two Mustangs all-MCC in softball

Juniors Amanda Gaffey and L.J. Putzier have been named to the all-Midwest Collegiate Conference softball team.

Gaffey, a junior first baseman from Kennedy, batted .336 with 11 home runs and 33 RBIs. Putzier, a junior outfielder from Des Moines, hit .369 with 13 homers and 35 RBIs.

Junior Hannah Petersen, a Jefferson grad, along with freshmen Ellie Rizor and Claudia Magana were honorable mention selections.

The Mustangs finished 19-27 overall, 8-16 in MCC play.

Mustangs fall in MCC softball tourney

OSKALOOSA - The Mount Mercy Mustangs were trimmed by William Penn, 9-8, in the first round of the Midwest Collegiate Conference softball tournament in Oskaloosa Thursday.

Mount Mercy ended the season with a 19-27 record. William Penn advanced to the final four of the tournament this weekend in Des Moines.

The Mustangs scored four runs in the top of the sixth inning to grab an 8-4 lead, but William Penn responded with five runs in the bottom of the sixth for a 9-8 edge and held on.

LJ Putzier hit a home run for Mount Mercy. Hannah Petersen and Claudia Magana had two hits. Alexis Ferguson and Petersen scored two runs.

Mount Mercy     120 014 0 - 8 10 2
William Penn    103 005 x - 9 11 4

W - Grove (12-7). L - Magana (7-11).

Grand View topples Mustangs twice

Grand View dominated from start to finish in a Midwest Collegiate Conferencesoftball doubleheader over Mount Mercy on Monday at Tomahawk Park.

In the opener, Mount Mercy was guilty of six errors and could only muster three hits in a 5-0 loss. Ellie Rizor had two singles for Mount Mercy.

It wasn't much better in Game 2. The visitors jumped out to a 10-0 lead and cruised to a 14-2, five-inning, belting four homers.

Rizor provided all the offense for the Mustangs (19-27, 8-17 MCC). She belted a 2-run homer in the fourth.

Game 1

Grand View    101 000 3 - 5 5 0
Mount Mercy 000 000 0 - 0 2 6

Farrell and McCarthy. Moore and Ferguson. W - Farrell. L - Moore

Game 2

Grand View  211 64 - 14 19 0
Mount Mercy 000 20 -  2  3 2

Stickel and Hubbard. Magana, Kron (4), Nimmo (4) and Ferguson. W - Stickel. L - Magana.