Hailey Wilken stayed unbeaten in the circle in leading Dordt University to a 5-1 win over (RV) Bellevue, a team receiving votes in the NAIA Preseason Coaches' poll, in the Defenders first game on Saturday played at the American State Bank Sports Complex.
Dordt won its fifth straight game and improved to 9-2 heading into its final game of this weekend's home classic. They will play Dakota State at 4pm later today. Bellevue lost its third straight game and third to a GPAC team as the Bruins drop to 4-3.
Wilken improved to 5-0 and pitched her second complete game of the season. The sophomore limited Bellevue to four hits, the only run given up on a solo home run by Myla Beckstrom in the top of the fifth inning. Wilken struck out two and did not give up a walk.
The Defenders sent down Bellevue in order in the top of the first and proceeded to push four runs across in the bottom of the first as the hosts got off to another fast start.
Chandler Schemper reached base with a walk and scored on a triple hit by
Karli Olsen, her third of the season.
Emma Groen followed with an RBI single, scoring Olsen, and
Ivy Terpstra then singled to advance Groen to second and chase Bruins starting pitcher, Lauren Jurek. Dordt scored its final runs in the inning on a two-out, two-run double by
Brynn Torrenga.
Leading 4-1 heading into the fifth, the Defenders scored their final run in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI triple from
Ella Koster, scoring Terpstra.
Six Defenders had at least one hit, led by Terpstra who went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Schemper, Olsen, Groen, Koster, Torrenga and
Brooklynn Cox all had one hit each.
Jurek (1-1) gave up three hits and four runs without recording an out. Katie Cunningham pitched the final six innings and held the Defenders to four hits and one run.
