The Dordt Defender softball team was swept by Northwestern in a GPAC doubleheader in Sioux Center on Wednesday night, April 9. The Defenders surrendered a late lead in game one and fell 12-11 in eight innings and lost a 12-1, five inning decision in game two.

Game 1 Box Score (PDF)
Game 2 Box Score (PDF)    

GAME 1
Northwestern scored first but Dordt scored the next eight with four in the first and four in the second. Chloe Kreuz hit the first of her two homeruns in the first with Brooke Rule on and Lauren Steenstra had a homerun with Annabelle Hensley on for a  4-1 lead. Dordt followed that with a Rule double in the second that scored Payton Whipple and Kreuz smashed her second homerun with Rule on for an 8-1 lead.

Northwestern put two on the board in the fourth inning courtesy of an error and one hit.  Northwestern added another run on three hits and stranded two in the fifth inning to cut the gap to 8-4.  Dordt had an answer in the bottom of the fifth with Steenstra doubling in a run and Grissom had a single to plate Steenstra.  Rule eventually reached on a fielder's choice to score a run for an 11-4 lead but Dordt stranded the potential game ending run on third base leaving the door open for Northwestern.

An error by Dordt opened the inning and Northwestern scored four runs before the first out was recorded. A ground out produced another run for the second out and got the difference down to 11-9 and two more hits produced two runs to tie the game at 11-11.  Northwestern scored seven runs on seven hits and two errors in the frame. 

Dordt loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth but a strikeout ended the inning and Northwestern went scoreless in the seventh, stranding the go ahead run at third. In the seventh Dordt got a Rule single with one out and then stole second.  Rule was eventually left at second on a ground out.

Northwestern scored the eventual game winner on two hits in the eighth and held Dordt scoreless in the eight to finish the game.

The teams combined for 29 hits and Chloe Kreuz took the loss and was charged with seven earned runs out of 12 total.

THE NUMBERS
Northwestern | 12r | 15h | 2e | 8lob
Dordt | 11r | 14h | 4e | 8lob

Dordt Leaders
Chloe Kreuz | 3-4 | 2hr | 2r | 4rbi | 2hr
Lauren Steenstra | 3-4 | 3r | 4rbi | 2b | hr
Brooke Rule | 3-5 | 2r | 2rbi | 2b | 3sb
Peyton Whipple | 2-4 | 1r

GAME 2
Northwestern rode the momentum of its come from behind win to win a 12-1 decision in five innings over the Defenders in game two.

Northwestern jumped in front 4-0 after its first at-bat and Brooke Rule homered to lead off Dordt's half of the first. Northwestern scored six in the second on four hits and four walks and an Dordt error. Cox singled in the fourth for Dordt's second hit of the game but that's all the offense Dordt mustered in the 12-1 loss. Northwestern's 12^th run of the game came in the third.

THE NUMBERS
Northwestern | 12r | 9h | 0e | 4lob
Dordt | 1r |2h | 3e | 1lob

Dordt Leaders
Brooke Rule | 1-2 | 1hr | 1rbi
Brooklyn Cox | 1-2 | 1b

NEXT
Dordt travels to Omaha, Nebraska to face the College of Saint Mary on Friday, April 11 and will host Midland on Saturday, April 12.   Dordt is 5-5 in the league and 16-21 overall. Northwestern is 14-0 in the league and 34-5 overall.
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