The Dordt Defender softball team won a come from behind 4-3 decision in 10 innings against the Jamestown Jimmies in game one of their doubleheader on Wednesday evening in Sioux Center, Iowa. The games start time was delayed until 7:00 as the grounds crew worked to get the field in playable condition after morning rain.
Jamestown opened the scoring with a run in the top of the second inning on a two-out triple that scored a run from third base.
Dordt answered with a run in the fourth inning when Karli Olsen doubled to lead off the inning and eventually scored on a Brooklyn Van Oort single.
The visitors scored in the sixth inning on a two-out double to regain the lead but Dordt answered in the home half of the same frame when Kenzie Cunard walked and advanced on a bunt attempt that was misplayed. A passed ball pushed the runners up a base each and Chandler Schemper delivered a run scoring single. The Defenders were unable to cash in on a second and third situation with no one out and the game eventually went to extra innings.
After a scoreless eighth and ninth the international tie-breaker was put in effect and Jamestown plated a run on a hit but could do no more damage. Dordt’s tenth started with a sacrifice that put Jessica Oules on third base. A wild pitch got Oules in and Olsen was walked. A sacrifice bunt put Olsen on second and Van Oort delivered a double with two strikes on her to win it 4-3.
THE NUMBERS
Abby Kraemer was the winning pitcher with 16 strikeouts, five walks, two earned runs and four hits allowed. Kraemer is now 15-4 this season.
Chandler Schemper and Brooklyn Van Oort each had two hits along with Jessica Oules and Karli Olsen had a single to account for Dordt’s seven hits. Olsen and Van Oort had Dordt’s extra base hits with a double each.
Game Two:
Timely hitting by the Dordt Defenders gave them a sweep of their doubleheader. The Defenders managed two runs in the second inning on two hits as Emma Groen singled in in Hailey Wilkin from third.
Groen eventually scored on a wild pitch later in the inning and Dordt led 2-0.
The Defenders added to the lead in the fifth inning when Ivy Terpstra singled in Kenzie Cunard who had reached earlier in the inning on an error. Earlier Dordt missed an opportunity in the third inning to blow the game open when they left the bases loaded.
Jamestown did not have multiple runners on base in an inning until the seventh when the Jimmies got the tying run to the plate with two outs but a grounder to second ended the game.
THE NUMBERS
Dordt had a 7-4 hits advantage and took advantage of two Jamestown errors that led to three unearned runs.
Seven Defenders had one hit each with Karli Olsen knocking the only extra base hit of the game with a double.
Hailey Wilkin pitched seven innings and got the shutout with four hits allowed. She walked one and struck out two.
Dordt is 20-11-1 overall and is 10-4 in league play and will host Morningside on Thursday, April 21 at 4:00.
