Index of Sports Press Releases

April 17, 2008

Tigers split doubleheader with GPAC rival Sioux Falls
The Daily Republic

SIOUX FALLS — The Dakota Wesleyan University softball team split its second doubleheader of the week on Wednesday, this one to the University of Sioux Falls.

The Tigers used two solid innings to earn a 6-3 victory in the opener, but were shut out 6-0 in the nightcap at Sherman Park in Sioux Falls. DWU is now 4-8 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference and 9-14 overall.

The Cougars got on the board first with two runs in the bottom of the first inning in the night’s first game off a two-run single from Jolyn Heidebrink.

Neither team scored again until the Tigers struck in the fourth inning. Annie Martinez and Sarah Wells both singled to start the inning, and Dana Baxa singled to center field to score Martinez. Meghan Hauck grounded out but Wells was able to make it home, and then Baxa scored DWU’s third run of the game on a wild pitch.

“I think in the third inning we started hitting the ball pretty well,” DWU head coach Marie McCarthy said. “We had a couple strong innings there. We out hit (USF) that first game, and I was definitely happy with that.”

USF tied the game in the bottom of the inning, but the Tigers scored the eventual winning runs in the fifth. This time it was Amy Torgerson and Ekekela Watson who singled to start the inning, and Martinez hit an RBI single to left field. Wells sent in two runs with another single to left field to end the scoring for the game.

Martinez and Wells led DWU’s offense in the first game. Martinez was 3-for-4 with an RBI and Wells was 3-for-3 with two RBI. Baxa went 2-for-3. The Tigers had 10 hits as a team.

Torgerson earned the win for the Tigers. She pitched the full game and gave up three earned runs on nine hits. She struck out six batters and walked four.

The second game was all the Cougars. Dakota Wesleyan managed just four runs and committed three errors in the shutout.

USF scored the eventual game winner in the bottom of the first inning when Tina Spade reached on a DWU error and Katie Farley was able to score. The Cougars added four more runs in the fourth inning, highlighted by a triple by Heidebrink that sent in two runs. They scored the final run of the game two innings later.

Valerie Spencer, Wells, Makinna Meeks and Hauck each got a hit for the Tigers.

“I thought we pitched ok in both games,” McCarthy said. “(Torgerson and Spencer) both have been pitching a lot of games. In game one we were able to back up our pitching with our hitting, and we didn’t do that in game two. Sometimes we’re just not as strong in game two.”

Heidebrink, Farley and Spade each recorded two hits for the Cougars, who are now 4-10 in the GPAC and 5-11 overall.

Spencer took the loss after giving up six runs and nine hits in six innings. She struck out five batters and walked four.

Up next for DWU is a home doubleheader at 5 p.m. Friday against Nebraska Wesleyan.

“The last two days have been hopefully a bit of a confidence booster for (the girls),” McCarthy said. “We have been hitting the ball well, and I’m hoping we continue to hit this well.”