Crete, Nebraska — The Dordt Defender softball team won its fifth straight decision of the week with a 7-2 win in game one of a doubleheader with Doane in Crete, Nebraska on Saturday afternoon, April 9.
The Defenders erupted for six runs in the fourth inning and that proved to be enough. All of the runs in the fourth inning came with two outs. Brooklyn Van Oort and Ivy Terpstra each walked before a line drive was recorded for the second out of the inning. Jessica Flaherty singled to get Van Oort in and Jessica OUles followed with a single that scored Terpstra from second. Leading 2-0, the Defenders got another timely hit from senior Kenzie Cunard as she doubled to right-center to get two runs in and Karli Olsen homered on the first pitch she saw to put Dordt up 6-0.
Doane got one run in the fourth but Dordt answered with an Ivy Terpstra homerun in the home half of the fifth and Doane mustered one more run in the fifth to make the final 7-2.
Dordt had a 10-4 hits advantage and neither team recorded an error.
Karli Olsen was 2-4 with two runs batted in and had a double and homerun.
Kenzie Cunard was 2-4 with two runs batted in with a double and single.
Riley Titus had two singles and Terpstra had a solo homerun and two runs scored.
Abby Kraemer was the winning pitcher with four hits allowed, two walks and she struck out eight.
The Dordt Defender softball team was a 7-6 winner in 11 innings in game two of its doubleheader with Doane on Saturday afternoon. The Defenders needed a four run sixth inning to force extra innings and secured its sixth straight win in the process.
Emma Groen started the scoring for Dordt with a run scoring single that pushed Chandler Schemper across in the top of the first inning. Dordt left two runners on base as the inning ended. Doane answered with two runs on three hits in the bottom of the first and then added single runs in the third and fourth for a 4-1 lead. Another run for Doane in the fifth put them in command 5-1.
The Defenders didn’t quietly though with Emma Groen walking and eventually scoring on a Jessica Oules single. After an out was recorded on a fielder’s choice for the second out o the frame Karli Olsen reached on catcher’s interference with the bases loaded to get Dordt within 5-3. Schemper then delivered a single to plate to runs as Kenzie Cunard and Oules each scored to make it 5-5.
Dordt threatened to unlock the tie with two base runners in both the seventh and eighth innings and another in the ninth. Meanwhile Doane mustered just one baserunner in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings combined with Abby Kraemer coming on in relief.
With the international tiebreaker in effect the Defenders got a run in the 10th with Karli Olsen delivering a single that scored Jessica Oules but Doane answered with a run of its own in the 10th.
In the 11th Ivy Terpstra grounded out to the right side of the infield and that allowed Brooklyn Van Oort to score from third.
Doane then got runners at first and third in the 11th on a bunt single. After a stolen base put the potential winning run on second Kraemer recorded a strikeout and a ground ball to second resulted in a runner being thrown out at home. A fly ball to left field ended it with Dordt taking its sixth win of the week.
Schemper had four hits and two runs batted in.
All nine of Dordt’s hits were singles.
Karli Olsen had two singles and Emma Groen, Ivy Terpstra and Jessica Oules all had one single.
Taylor Knaack was the staring pitcher and went three innings. Hailey Wilkin pitched a shutout inning in the sixth and Kraemer got the win in relief.
Kraemer went five innings and gave up one run on three this and struck out six. Kraemer is now 14-3 while the Defenders are 18-9-1 overall and 8-2 in the league. Doane is 8-21 overall and 2-10 in the GPAC.
