OTTUMWA — The eighth-ranked Ottumwa softball team swept Des Moines Hoover Thursday in two very different CIML Metro games on Thursday.

The Bulldogs took advantage of eight Hoover errors on their way to a 9-1 win in game one, and they were able to hang on for a 4-3 win in the second game.

Bulldog Sammy Garrett blasted Kinsey Van Houten’s pitch to deep left field in the bottom of the sixth inning in the first game. It was a breath of fresh air in a game filled with Des Moines Hoover errors and a few big hits. There was no doubt the hit had the distance, the only question was would it be fair. Fortunately, for the Bulldogs’ the ball stayed inside the foul line, giving Ottumwa a 5-1 advantage.

The solo shot seemed to jump-start the Bulldogs’ offense, which went on to score four more runs on the way to the 9-1 win.

“We kind of feed off each other,” Garrett said, “so I think that [the homer] got us going.”

Mandi Moore turned in a solid performance on the mound for Ottumwa, striking out eight, while giving up only two hits and one run in game one.

The second game, however, was a little tougher for Ottumwa.

Katie Sammons hit a rope to centerfield that took a hop and got underneath the glove of Houten in the bottom of the third, scoring Olivia Roark and allowing Sammons to make it to third. Sammons went on to score on a wild pitch.

Starting Ottumwa pitcher Brittni Vogt struck out six batters and allowed no runs in the first three innings. The Huskies finally managed to get a runner across home plate in the top of the fourth, but Ottumwa’s offense responded in the bottom half of the inning.

Schreiner belted a two-RBI single to center field that drove in Garrett and Roark, extending the Bulldogs’ lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the fourth.

The Huskies made things interesting towards the end of the game by scoring two runs in the top of the sixth, but Vogt was able to shut Hoover down in the seventh and Ottumwa picked up the win.

“I think we expected to play a little bit better than that, but its a win so we will take it,” Sammons said after the game.

Ottumwa (17-2) plays in the Jack North Tournament at Des Moines East.

Ottumwa 9, Des Moines Hoover 1

Hoover     000    000    0    —    9    7    8         

Ottumwa 110    115    0    —    1    2    0

Away Team battery — Kinsey Van Houten (L)  (5 1/3 IP, 7H, 9R, 3ER, 1K, 6BB), Ann Strom (2/3 IP, 0R) Breanna Rodriquez catching.

2B — Taylor Blackford.

Hits —  Blackford 2-for-3.

RBI — Blackford. Runs — Houten.

Ottumwa Team battery — Mandi Moore (W, 8-1) (7IP, 2H, 1R, 8K, 2BB), Beth Overturf catching.

2B — Schreiner.

HR — Garrett.

Hits —  Roark 2-for-4, Chelsea Griffiths 2-for-3, Overturf 1-for-3, Garrett 1-for-3, Schreiner 1-for-4.

RBI — Garrett, Griffiths, Overturf, Peyton. Runs — Garrett 2, Strunk 3, Roark, Chelsea Griffiths, Sammons 2.

Ottumwa 4,  Des Moines Hoover 3

Hoover     000    102    0    —    3    6    2         

Ottumwa 002    200    0    —    4    8    3

 battery — Blackford (L) (6IP, 8H, 4R, 1K, 2BB), Rodriquez catching.

Hits —  Rodriquez 1-for-3, Natalie Clark 1-for-3, Olivia Evans 2-for-4, Blackford 1-for-4.

RBI — Evans 2, Rodriquez, . Runs — Clark, Houten, Lexi Larson.

Ottumwa battery — Brittni Vogt (W) (7IP, 6H, 3R, 6K), Alexis Winn catching.

Hits —  Roark 1-for-3, Nicole Peyton 1-for-2, Beth Overturf 2-for-3, Sydney Strunk 1-for-3, Katie Sammons 1-for-3, Schreiner 1-for-3, Garrett 1-for-2.

RBI — Sammons, Schreiner 2. Runs — Roark, Sammons, Garrett, Roark.