GRINNELL, Iowa – A pair of 8-0, mercy-rule victories over Monmouth College provided Grinnell College's softball team just the start it was looking for in Midwest Conference play on a chilly and windy Saturday afternoon.
 
Grinnell (11-7, 2-0 MWC) strung together 25 hits in the contests and got solid pitching and defense throughout.
 
Kathryn Vermeulen '24 tossed her second shutout of the season in the opener, scattering three hits and striking out seven. The offense's 12-hit attack was paced by Alex Okada's '24 three hits and two from Taylor Durak '24, Samantha Chu '24 and Emma Nelson '23.
 
Grinnell broke open a scoreless game in the third inning when Durak belted an RBI single to left and Chu added a sacrifice fly to center. The Pioneers finished the game in the sixth inning with a six-run outburst.
 
Amanda Ramirez '23 had an RBI bunt single, Durak and Chu came up with RBI singles to left and Nelson hit a run-scoring infield single to make it 6-0. Durak and Chu later scored on errors to end the game.
 
Grinnell had a balanced hitting attack in the second game. Of the Pioneers' 13 hits, Okada had three and Ramirez and Durak added two apiece. Christin Hartman '24 got the pitching win, giving up just two hits in three innings. Maddy O'Bryan '24 finished off the game with two innings on work in which she struck out one.
 
The Pioneers went up 3-0 in the first inning on RBI singles by Durak, Chu and Jasmine Oda '25. Chu hit a two-run triple to center in the second, and Oda and Hannah Dykstra '25 had RBI singles up the middle to make it 7-0. In the third, Durak's RBI single up the middle made it 8-0.
 
Grinnell shut down Monmouth (5-11, 0-2 MWC) the rest of the way to win in five innings.
 
During the day, Chu moved up to fourth all-time at Grinnell for RBIs with 64 and Vermeulen sixth in victories with 18.
 
The Pioneers travel to Galesburg Sunday to face Knox College in a twin bill, beginning at 2 p.m.