TCT sports round-up: Ballard's Kaitlyn Zugay places eighth at 1A state singles tennis

Ballard's Kaitlyn Zugay went 2-3 to place eighth at the Class 1A girls tennis state singles tournament Friday and Saturday at the Byrnes Park Tennis Center in Waterloo.

The 1A No. 7 Collins-Maxwell softball team won its first four games to open the season last week. The Spartans scored a pair of 14-0 road wins over North Tama in Traer and at Janesville to open the season May 22 and 23.

They followed those triumphs with an 8-0 shutout win over Colo-NESCO in both its Iowa Star Conference South Division and home opener May 24 in Collins. Collins-Maxwell ended the week by blanking BCLUW, 4-0, at Conrad Friday.

The Ballard softball team split its first four games.

The Bombers won their opener over Bondurant-Farrar at home by a 6-1 score May 22 then dropped a 3-2 decision at Saydel May 23. Ballard opened Raccoon River Conference play with a 10-0 loss at 4A No. 4 Carlisle May 24, but bounced back with a 6-4 conference victory over Boone May 25 at Huxley.

Statistics for the Ballard softball team were not available at press deadline.

The Ballard baseball team went to 7-1 overall and 3-0 in the RRC with wins over Bondurant-Farrar (4-2), Saydel (7-3), Carlisle (4-3) and Boone (5-4). The Bombers beat Bondurant-Farrar at Nite Hawk Field in Slater May 22, won at Saydel May 23 and Carlisle May 24 and downed Boone at home May 25.

The Collins-Maxwell baseball team suffered a 3-2 loss to North Tama in Traer May 22 and a 12-7 setback at Janesville May 23. The Spartans defeated Colo-NESCO by a 3-2 score May 24 in Collins to improve to 2-4 overall and 1-2 in the ISC South.

The Ballard boys soccer team saw its season end May 22 with a 7-2 loss to Greene County in the 2A Substate 7 semifinals at Jefferson. The Bombers finished 5-11.

Here is what we learned from how the Ballard and Collins-Maxwell high school spring and summer sports teams performed last week.

Kaitlyn Zugay has strong outing at state in 1A girls singles tennis

Kaitlyn Zugay had a strong showing in her first state singles tennis tournament at Waterloo.

Zugay opened the tournament losing to Camanche's Elise Davison in straight sets, 6-2 and 6-3. She rebounded to take down St. Albert's Landry Miller by scores of 6-5 and 6-4 in the consolation first round and Cedar Rapids Xavier's Ali Schuchmann by 6-0 and 7-6 scores in the consolation second round.

In the consolation semifinals Zugay was dealt a pair of 6-3 losses by Aplington-Parkersburg's Adria Neymeyer. Zugay wrapped up the tournament by suffering a pair of 6-4 losses to Maharishi's Ishita Mukadam in the seventh-place match.

Erica Houge dominates opening week for Spartan softball team

Collins-Maxwell's All-State pitcher Erica Houge was on fire during the opening week of softball.

Houge only gave up four hits and walks apiece in 21 innings over Collins-Maxwell's first four games. She racked up an impressive 44 strikeouts during that stretch.

Houge fired a no-hitter with 13 strikeouts and one walk against North Tama. Marissa Boege was the offensive star of the game for the Spartans by going 3-for-4 with a double, two runs and three RBIs, Emma Pasquariello and Kiera Ruiz-Genovese both singled and drove in two runs and Cypress Erickson singled, drove in a run and picked up three steals and runs apiece.

In the win over Janesville Houge tossed two perfect innings with six strikeouts and Jayden Peters struck out two batters in one inning of work. Houge also doubled and drove in two runs and Erickson singled, drove in a run and scored twice.

During the victory over Colo-NESCO Houge tossed a two-hitter with 14 strikeouts and one walk. She was also 3-for-4 with a double and four RBIs.

Hannah Kimberley went 3-for-4 with three runs, Haylee Merryman 2-for-4 with two runs and Boege 2-for-4 with an RBI against Colo-NESCO.

Houge tossed another two-hitter against BCLUW. She finished with 12 strikeouts and two walks against the Comets.

Houge also belted her first home run of the season in the win over BCLUW with a solo shot. Erickson singled, stole a base and drove in two runs and Merryman doubled, scored twice, stole a base and knocked in a run.

Ballard baseball team comes up big in close games

The Ballard baseball team showed great poise during the second week of the season.

The Bombers thrived in close games with their one-run victories over Carlisle and Boone and two-run triumph over Bondurant-Farrar.

In the victory over Bondurant-Farrar the Bombers scored twice in the second inning and both teams plated two runs in the fourth. It was all pitching and defense after that, with Ballard's Eli Rouse getting the win after striking out 13 batters and giving up just four hits and one walk in seven innings.

Cole Heinen was 2-for-3 with a double, run and RBI, Rouse went 2-for-2 and Nicolas Schonhorst 1-for-2 with a walk and a run for the Bombers on offense. Rouse and Jakson Fleischmann stole two bases apiece and Schonhorst and Cooper Olson each had one.

Ballard fell behind Carlisle 3-2 after one inning. Bomber pitchers Jaden Peasley and Schonhorst did not allow a run after the first inning and Ballard managed to tie the game in the fourth inning and score the go-ahead run in the sixth.

Peasley picked up the win after giving up two earned runs on two hits and three walks with three strikeouts in six innings. Schonhorst tossed a scoreless seventh and had one strikeout in picking up the save.

Peasley doubled, homered, scored twice and drove in a run on offense for Ballard. Rouse hit a solo home run, Miles Mudd doubled and scored, Owen Greco was 1-for-3 with an RBI, Jacob Luster singled once and Schonhorst drove in a run against the Wildcats.

Ballard rallied from a 4-3 deficit with two runs in the bottom of the seventh to beat Boone.

Luster got the win in relief after giving up one walk and no hits or runs in 1/3 of an inning. Mudd went most of the game at pitcher, tossing 6 2/3 innings and giving up two earned runs on five hits with 13 strikeouts and no walks.

Jaren Njos was 2-for-2 with a run, Fleischmann doubled and scored, Mudd was 1-for-4 with an RBI, Rouse scored twice, Peasley tallied one run and RBI apiece and Owen Greco had a single versus the Toreadors.

The Bombers also needed to rally in their victory over Saydel. They broke a 3-3 tie with a run in the sixth then added three big insurance runs in the seventh.

Greco got the win after giving up two earned runs on five hits and a walk with nine strikeouts in a complete-game victory. Schonhorst went 1-for-3 with two runs and RBIs apiece, Njos drove in a run, Luster went 2-for-4 with a double and a run, Rouse was 2-for-5, Peasley and Mudd both singled and scored and Fleischmann went 2-for-4 with three steals and a run.

Spartan baseball team gets first ISC South victory

The Collins-Maxwell baseball team rebounded from its losses to North Tama and Janesville to earn its first ISC South win with a strong outing against Colo-NESCO.

The Spartans fell behind 1-0 in the third inning against North Tama. They went up 2-1 in the top of the fifth, but then allowed two runs in the bottom of the inning and could not muster a response over the final two innings.

Josef Dvorak doubled and scored, Blake Huntrods scored a run, Cooper Wierson smacked a double and Caden Hasbrouck singled once for Collins-Maxwell against North Tama. Jace Huntrods was the losing pitcher after giving up two runs on two hits and one walk with three strikeouts in two innings.

Collins-Maxwell jumped out to a 4-0 lead against Janesville, but the Spartans could not overcome two five-run innings by the Wildcats.

Hasbrouck was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, Huntrods 2-for-3 with a double and two runs and RBIs apiece, Austin Boege 2-for-4 with a run, Luke Huntrods 1-for-3 with one run and RBI apiece, Dvorak 1-for-4 with a double and Wierson scored twice. Luke Huntrods took the loss after giving up five earned runs on four hit batsmen, one hit and one walk with four strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings.

In the victory over Colo-NESCO the Spartans built a 3-1 lead after four innings and held on behind strong pitching from Wierson.

Wierson went all seven innings to get the win. He allowed one earned run on three hits and one walk and finished with 10 strikeouts.

Caleb Dvorak led Collins-Maxwell at the plate by going 2-for-3 with a double, run and two RBIs. Jace Huntrods was 1-for-3 with a run and Boege scored one run.

Slow start dooms Ballard boys soccer team in substate semifinals

The Ballard boys soccer team was overpowered by Greene County during the first half of its 2A substate semifinal loss to the Rams.

The Bombers were outscored 6-0 over the first 40 minutes. The deficit proved far too big to overcome despite a gutsy Ballard effort in the second half.

Statistics for the game were not available at press deadline.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Ballard's Kaitlyn Zugay places eighth in 1A girls state singles tennis