The PCM baseball and softball teams each played host to non-conference opponents Thursday evening, and it was the visitors that took both games.

The Mustang softball team played host to future Heart of Iowa conference foe West Marshall. Despite a strong start to the game, PCM fell by a final count of 11-4. The Mustangs struck first in the bottom of the third for a 1-0 lead, but a defensive error in the top of the fourth started a flurry of scoring for the Trojans, as West Marshall took a 6-1 lead after the frame. Four more runs in the fifth put the Trojans on top 10-1, but PCM would respond with three runs of their own in the bottom of the frame. West Marshall added an insurance run in the seventh to complete the scoring.

Despite the loss, it was another strong night at the plate. Sidney Shaver, RaeAnn Duinink and Riley DeVore each picked up two base hits, while Riley Johannes drove in two runs on a base hit. Paige Steenhoek was the pitcher of record, going 4 ⅓ innings, giving up eight hits and five walks with no strikeouts. PCM falls to 2-5 on the season.

The Mustang baseball team was unable to carry the momentum of an impressive conference win on Wednesday, falling to Clarke 9-2. Each team scored two runs in the third, but the Indians opened up the game with five runs in the fourth and two in the fifth to secure the win. The loss drops PCM to 2-3 overall.

Both teams will return to conference play this evening, as PCM makes the trip to Nevada. Baseball coach Jeff Lindsay says that if his team can bounce back with a similar performance to Wednesday night, his team can compete with anyone.

“Nevada is always a tough team, we’ve got to play them on the road. But if we play ball like we did, I like our chances with whoever we play against.”

The softball game gets underway at 7:00, while the first pitch of the baseball game is scheduled for 7:30.