BOONE – The Iowa Central softball team dropped a pair of ICCAC games to No. 11 Des Moines Area here Sunday.

Scores were 9-2 and 11-10.

The 24th-ranked Tritons (35-11 overall, 20-8 in conference) held a 10-5 lead going into the bottom of the seventh in the nightcap before the Bears rallied, scoring six to secure the sweep instead of a split.

“We had them there in the second game,” ICCC head coach Bo Tjebben said. “We just couldn’t get those final three outs to end it. The girls played well enough to win. It’s so tough in this conference to win on the road.”

Natalie Rasmussen had a home run during the five-run sixth, finishing the game 3-for-5 at the plate with four RBI and three runs scored. Kyra Kain drove in three on two hits, Jersey Hawf had two RBI and Eagle Grove grad Addyson Jeske recorded a triple with a run scored.

Avery McKinney was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, as Southeast Valley graduate Ellie Nolte recorded a hit.

In the opener, former Newell-Fonda all-stater Kierra Jungers struck out 10 and allowed just three hits for DMACC.

Rasmussen had another homer in the opener, driving in two, as McKinney added a hit and a run scored.

Iowa Central heads to Waterloo to face Hawkeye on Monday followed by a trip to Mason City to play North Iowa Area on Wednesday.

“We have to get right back on track against Hawkeye,” Tjebben said. “We still have plenty of games left and know what our goals are in front of us.”