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C-M in line for trifecta

—Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Mikayla Houge of Collins-Maxwell pitches against Mason City Newman during a Class 1A quarterfinal on Tuesday. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

It took Collins-Maxwell a while, but the two-time defending state champion Spartans finally pulled away from Mason City Newman in a Class 1A quarterfinal on Tuesday.

After the eighth-seeded Knights rallied to pull within a run in the sixth inning, C-M took advantage of Newman miscues to plate a pair of unearned insurance runs on its way to a 5-2 victory on Kruger Seeds Field at Rogers Park.

The Spartans (20-1 overall) were actually out-hit in the contest, and just two of their runs were earned against a game Newman squad (19-4). In the end, it was enough for Mikayla Houge and her crew to advance into Wednesday night’s semifinal round versus Lynnville-Sully (19-2).

Houge (19-1), a University of Virginia recruit and the 2020 Iowa Softball Gatorade Player of the Year, had only given up six earned runs all year before making her return appearance at Rogers Park. She did surrender a two-run home run to Hailey Worman of Newman in the sixth — turning a seemingly-comfortable 3-0 lead into a somehwat-precarious 3-2 score — but Collins-Maxwell answered with a pair of runs to ease the tension in the bottom of the frame.

Consecutive errors and a run-scoring single by Reagan Franzen highlighted the Spartans’ counter-rally.

Houge struck out eight and didn’t walk a batter, but allowed eight hits. Her sophomore sister, Alexis, was 2-for-4 at the plate with a pair of runs scored and three stolen bases.

Franzen was 2-for-2 with the RBI.

Worman — a senior catcher who hit over .500 this season — went 3-for-3 against Houge, who had surrendered only 32 hits in over 101 innings of work before Tuesday. Opponents had been batting .091 against the ace.

Leadoff hitter Lily Castle also had two hits for the Knights. Paige Leininger (17-4) went the distance and allowed only the two earned runs, but the senior struggled with her control, walking eight.

COLLINS-MAXWELL 5,

MASON CITY NEWMAN 2

MC Newman 000 002 0 — 2 8 3

Collins-Maxwell 101 102 x — 5 6 2

WP–Mikayla Houge (19-1; 7 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K); LP–Paige Leininger (17-4; 6 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 8 BB, 2 K). 2B–MCN: Hailey Worman, Leah Martinez. HR–MCN: Hailey Worman. SB–C-M: Alexis Houge 3. LOB–Newman 7, Collins-Maxwell 10.

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