Dordt College advanced to a winners bracket contest in the GPAC post-season tournament with a 3-2 win over Dakota Wesleyan on Friday afternoon in Fremont, Nebraska.
The Defenders scored a run in the first inning with a Hannah Sikkema scoring on a Hailey Heeringa single. The Defenders missed on a bigger inning as they left two runners stranded.
Dordt added two more runs in the third inning. Corinne May walked with one out and Rachel Evavold doubled to put runners on second and third. A walk to Heeringa loaded the bases. A strikeout later Summer Jansen was able to coax a bases loaded walk for a run and Marissa VanDenBerg also was issued a free pass with no room on the bases for a 3-0 lead. Dordt left the bases loaded with a ground out ending the frame.
The Defenders had two runners on in the fourth but came away with nothing.
The Tigers got their two runs with a double and home run starting the threat. A single and double put runners on second and third. Tianna Top was called in to relieve and promptly hit the first batter she faced to load the bases. A ground out ended the threat and left Dordt up 3-2.
Top went on to save the game with one hit allowed in each of the sixth and seventh innings. Wesleyan had a runner on second when the game ended with a ground out.
Rachel Evavold was the winning pitcher and had one strikeout with one walk and two runs allowed on six hits in four and two-third innings of work.
Tianna Top pitched two and a third innings with two hits allowed and a strikeout.
Hannah Sikkema had two singles and a base on balls.
May, Evavold and Heeringa each had a hit with Evavold getting Dordt’s only extra base hit with her double in the second.
Both teams stranded eight runners.
Wesleyan outhit Dordt 8-5.
Dordt College secured a spot in the finals of the “Midland” bracket on Saturday with a convincing 9-1, six inning win over the Mount Marty Lancers on Friday afternoon in Fremont.
The Defenders scored two in the first inning when Hailey Heeringa clubbed a two-run homerun with Hannah Sikkema on base.
The Defenders extended the lead with two more in the third with Krista Bousema getting a single for two runs batted in. Dordt missed an even bigger inning by leaving the bases loaded.
Ashley Williams had a sacrifice fly in the fourth to give Dordt a 5-0 lead and after a Mount Marty run in the fifth Dordt tacked on two more in the fifth and finished the game with a two run sixth inning. Sikkema belted a bases loaded single to end the game by the eight run difference rule.
Dordt had an 11-5 hits advantage.
Sikkema had a single and a double with two runs batted in, two runs scored and she was walked twice.
Rachel Evavold had a pair of doubles and Ashley Williams and Krista Bousema each had a pair of singles.
Tianna Top went the distance and allowed one run on five hits with one walk and seven strikeouts.
NEXT
Dordt will face the winner of Midland and Mount Marty’s contest. Midland and Mount Marty meet in an eliminate game at noon while Dordt awaits the winner at 2:00.
The winner of the four team bracket advances to a best of three series on Monday at the site of the highest remaining seed.
