Orange City, Iowa — Samantha Ubben pitched a complete-game, six-hitter and both Erika McKenney and Emily Strasser hit home runs in leading Northwestern to a 4-2 win against Dordt in game one of a GPAC doubleheader played Tuesday in Orange City. Dordt took the nightcap 2-0 with a two run home run in the third inning.
In game one, Northwestern’s Samantha Ubben struck out three and walked two and pitched her seventh complete game while improving her record to 6-5 this season. She held Dordt scoreless for the first five innings until the Defenders broke through with a pair of runs in the sixth, both scored with two outs. Ubben, however, struck out pinch hitter Sophia Caldwell with the tying run at third to end the sixth.
Erika McKenney put Northwestern in front 2-0 with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning after Jennifer Boeve reached base on a walk. The Raiders made it 3-0 in the bottom of the second when Emily Strasser drove the first pitch over the left field fence, her fourth home run of the season.
Dordt scored its runs with a pair of two-out RBI singles from Hailey Heeringa and Erin Bredemus. Northwestern picked up an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth on a pinch-hit RBI single by Taylor De Jong, scoring courtesy runner Lily Anderson from third.
Six Raiders registered one hit each; McKenney, Strasser, De Jong, Emily Bosch, Kameryn Etherington and Madysn Grotewold.
Dordt’s Abby Kraemer (7-6) picked up the loss, giving up three earned runs in six innings.
A two run homerun was enough as the Dordt Defenders forced a softball split with Northwestern on Tuesday night in Orange City.
With offense at premium, the Defenders scored two in the third inning with a leadoff double by Chandler Schemper and a Brooklyn Van Oort homerun. Dordt had two more runners on but couldn’t get more offense and left the runners stranded.
Northwestern’s best threat came in the sixth inning with a single and walk but couldn’t get the timely hit to get the runner in. Northwestern also had a runner on in the seventh but a ground out ended the game.
Dordt was outhit 5-4 with Chandler Schemper getting a double and single and Van Oort’s homerun and Karlie Olsen’s single accounting for Dordt’s other two hits.
Rachel Evavold struck out five and walked three with five hits allowed.
