Index of Sports Press Releases

April 23, 2008

DWU sweeps Dordt with two walk-off home runs
The Daily Republic

DWU shortstop Valerie Spencer tries to tag out Dordt College’s Becca Hengeveld as she steals second base Tuesday afternoon in a GPAC doubleheader. Hengeveld was safe on the play. (Leah Rado/Republic)

The Dakota Wesleyan University softball team swept Dordt College in style Tuesday, ending each game with a home run.

Amy Torgerson broke a 3-3 tie in the eighth inning of the first game with a deep solo shot just inside the left-field foul pole, and Sarah Wells ended game two with a two-run blast to put the Tigers up 18-9, and invoke the mercy rule in the bottom of the sixth.

“Overall, both our games were good team efforts,” said DWU head coach Marie McCarthy. “They’re just going up to the plate and they’re all so comfortable in that situation. None of them are buckling under pressure.”

Torgerson earned the win on the mound when her game-winning homer cleared the fence in game one, but McCarthy said the Tigers’ defense played one of its best games.

“Our team finally picked it up and played some defense behind her,” she said.

The second game was a different story. The Defenders took a 5-0 lead in the first inning, and still led 7-2 in the fourth. However, Jeannette Mitchell drilled a two-run home run in the bottom of the inning to ignite the Tigers.

“We were still down at that point, and everybody was so excited to see her hit that home run,” McCarthy said. “It was exciting.”

The Tigers continued the comeback the next inning with its biggest frame of the season. DWU scored 11 runs on 10 hits. The Tigers continued to pour it on, and Wells’ round-tripper was the perfect exclamation point.

“I was proud of them because (Dordt) set the tone so early in the game,” McCarthy said. “I think it says a lot for our team to come back and turn it around.”

With the sweep, DWU closed a home stretch that featured eight games in five days. The Tigers will take a few days off to rest before finishing the regular season with doubleheaders at Concordia Saturday, and home against Dana Sunday.