Pella Christian’s boys and girls of summer each beat Newton in game one of a doubleheader last night on Eagle Lane, but the Cardinals bounced back to take a split in each series.

In softball, Pella Christian won the opener 3-1, then lost its first conference game of the year, 5-2, dropping to 12-2 on the season and 6-1 in the Little Hawkeye Conference.

Lizzy Van Manen’s two-run homer started the scoring in game one, and Chloe Dembski added a solo shot in the third.

That was plenty of support for Emma Schnell, who allowed just two hits and an unearned run in the complete game victory. She struck out nine.

Newton led from start to finish in game two, jumping ahead 5-0 before a seventh inning Eagle rally that led to two runs fell short. Natalie Vos, who suffered the loss in the circle, had a double and a run scored while Dembski added two singles.

The Eagles will take tonight off, then host Oskaloosa tomorrow.

Pella Christian’s baseball team won game one in dramatic fashion, 3-2, then saw a comeback bid fall short in the nightcap, 11-10.

Will Dembski, who hit two home runs Friday in Dallas Center, ripped an inside-the-park home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth for a walk-off win.

In game two, the Cardinals opened up an 11-0 lead after four innings before a furious Eagle rally fell short. Isaac Vander Hart started the comeback attempt with a solo homer, then Dembski clubbed a mammoth tater to left to make it 11-3.

Pella Christian got two more in the sixth, then scored four in the seventh on a Lawson Bruxvoort RBI single and a bases loaded triple by Vander Hart. But the rally ended there, and the Eagles are 9-6 on the season and 5-4 in the LHC. They’ll play tonight in Carlisle in a jayvee / varsity doubleheader.