The Dordt Defender softball team surrendered three unearned runs and were unable to take advantage of a 9-3 hits advantage in losing a 5-1 decision to Morningside in the elimination game of the GPAC postseason tournament on Friday, May 6.
The Defenders scored in the first when Kenzie Cunard singled and Karli Olsen bunted her over to second. Chandler Schemper singled to put runners on the corners and Brooklyn Van Oort flew out to right field allowing Cunard to score from third on the sacrifice fly.
Dordt had base runners in the next three innings but couldn’t break through with the key hit, leaving two runners stranded in the fourth.
Morningside answered with a four run fourth inning and took advantage of three walks and a hit batsman to plate the runs.
Dordt had a base runner in the fifth and two again in the seventh but Morningside escaped unscathed.
THE NUMBERS
Dordt had a 9-3 hits advantage with Cunard knocking three singles.
Emma Groen had a triple and a single while four other Defenders had a single each.
Taylor Knaack took a one-hitter into the fifth inning and went four and two-third innings with three hits, two earned runs, four walks and absorbed the loss in an emergency start for Dordt ace Abby Kraemer who was ill and unable to make the pitching start.
Hailey Wilken pitched an inning and a third and retired all four batters she faced.
The Defenders end the year with a 21-21-1 record.
