The Ballard softball team experienced a week of highs and lows as the Bombers opened with a dominant conference sweep before facing a challenging stretch against ranked opponents and a hard-fought extra-inning loss on the road.

Ballard began the week in impressive fashion Monday, sweeping a Raccoon River Conference doubleheader against Carroll.

In the opener, the Bombers erupted for 13 first-inning runs and cruised to a 15-0 victory. Ballard added two more runs in the third inning to complete the shutout win.

The offensive momentum continued in game two as Ballard defeated Carroll 14-6. The Bombers scored four runs in the first inning and six more in the second to build an early cushion. After Carroll closed the gap midway through the contest, Ballard put the game away with four runs in the sixth inning to secure the conference sweep.

The competition stiffened Tuesday when No. 15-ranked Indianola visited Ballard. The Bombers battled throughout the contest but fell 7-2.

Freshman pitcher Emmalyn Kruse tossed a complete game while Ballard collected six hits. Baylor Buttz led the offense with two hits and an RBI, while Cailey Horner added a double. Ayla Farmer and Olivia Wacha each stole two bases as the Bombers continued to pressure the Indians on the basepaths.

Wednesday brought another difficult conference challenge as No. 11-ranked Winterset defeated Ballard 15-2. The Huskies built an early lead and added six runs in the sixth inning to pull away.

The Bombers closed the week Thursday with perhaps their most competitive game of the stretch, traveling to Grinnell for a non-conference matchup. After trailing 2-0 entering the seventh inning, Ballard rallied with two runs to force extra innings. However, Grinnell plated the winning run in the eighth inning to hand the Bombers a tough 3-2 defeat.

Ballard now sits at 4-5 (3-1) as the team looks to build momentum heading into another busy week of summer competition.