Aberdeen, South Dakota — The Dordt Defender softball team won its first game of the season with a 12-0 win over Presentation, then fell in the second game 7-6 in nine innings Thursday afternoon in Aberdeen, South Dakota.
In game one, Dordt took advantage of five Saint errors and scored in each of the five innings played.
Hailey Heeringa hit a grand slam in the second inning to forge a 5-0 lead at the time. Emma Veenstra knocked in two runs with a single in the fourth inning. A four run fifth inning on five hits capped the scoring for the 12-0 win. Abby Kraemer scattered three hits with nine strikeouts and walked two to get the pitching win. Jessica Oules, Kenzie Cunard, Chandler Schemper and Karli Olsen all had two hits with Cunard getting a homerun in the top of the first inning to start the scoring.
Heeringa had her four runs batted in and Cunard had a single to go with her homerun and knocked in three with two runs scored. Karlie Olsen had a run batted in and scored three runs.
Game two went extra innings. Dordt scored one in the first and three more in the third before taking a 5-0 lead after the top of the fifth inning.
Presentation answered with single runs in the fifth and sixth inning but couldn’t complete the comeback.
Dordt’s first inning run came after Jessica Oules singled and stole two bases before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Becky Pederson. Kenzie Cunard singled in the third to lead off the inning and Hailey Heeringa followed with a walk. Chandler Schemper eventually delivered a two-out single two plate two and scored on a Sophia Caldwell double for a 4-0 lead. Erin Bredemus scored Dordt’s run in the fifth on a Pederson single. Chandler Schemper added a run for insurance in the seventh when she scored on a Caldwell single. That run proved to not be enough.
The hosts got a run in the fifth and another in the sixth before sending the game to extra innings with a four run seventh inning with a two-out, three run homerun tying the game. After a scoreless eighth the and top of the ninth the hosts completed the comeback with a steal of home to end the game 7-6.
The two teams combined for 27 hits with Dordt outhitting the hosts 15-12.
Becky Pederson and Erin Bredemus each had three hits. Sophia Caldwell had a pair of doubles and two runs batted in with two runs scored. Jessica Oules, Kenzie Cunard, Jessica Flaherty and Caldwell all had two hits. Oules and Cunard both had two stolen bases.
Taylor Knaack worked the first six innings and struck out three while scattering nine hits and allowed two runs.
Kayla Zevenbergen took the loss while working the final two-plus innings and allowed three hits and was charged with five runs.
Dordt will face Jamestown and Valley City State on Friday
