The Dordt University softball team used a pair of outstanding pitching performances to earn two wins in Friday's games at the ASB Dome Softball Classic. The Defenders earned a 2-1 win over York (Neb.) in game one and Defenders junior Chloe Kreuz pitched a no-hitter in leading her team to a 3-0 win against Culver-Stockton in game two.

• Game One - Box Score | Game Two - Box Score

The Defenders improve their record to 3-0 and have outscored opponents 11-3 so far this season.

Game One: 2-1 win vs York

The Defenders scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning and held off a late rally by York to earn the one-run victory. 

Rylee Yager (2-0) picked up her second, complete-game win of the season in as many starts as the freshman held the Panthers line-up in check, allowing two hits and just one walk. Yager struck out eight and pushed her season total to 2o K's in 14 innings.

Yager paced the Defenders at the plate as well, recording two of the team's five hits. Annabelle Hensley, Lauren Steenstra and Taylor Schneider all had one hit each with both Hensley and Schneider driving in a run.

With one out in the first, Yager reached on a bunt single and scored on Hensley's double to left field. Two batters later, Schneider plated Hensley on a two-out, infield single. 

York pushed across an unearned run in the top of the fifth when pinch runner Morgan Cameron scored on a ball hit by Taylor Jones. The Panthers had the tying run at second in the top of the seventh but Yager forced Bethany Wright to groundout on a comebacker to the mound to end it.

Lexi Knapp (0-1) pitched well for the Panthers in the loss, holding Dordt to just five hits while striking out two.

Game Two: 3-0 win vs Culver-Stockton

Chloe Kreuz pitched a no-hitter in the Defenders 3-0 win over Culver-Stockton in the final game on the east field on Friday.

Kreuz (1-0) allowed just one base-runner, struck out two and pitched to one batter over the minimum over seven innings. The Defenders were stellar in the field as Sumaya Edwards, Tera Price and Lauren Steenstra all made outstanding plays to preserve the no-hitter. The no-hitter is the first for Kreuz in a Defenders uniform and is most likely the fifth no-hitter in program history;

• Abby Kraemer vs Avila - Feb.21, 2022
• Abby Kraemer vs Bellevue - March 11, 2021
• Ashley Schuller vs Doane - April 12, 2003
• Dawn Van Kley vs Saint Scholastica - March 29, 2023

Dordt matched its season-high with nine hits, led by Yager (3/4) and Ashtyn Grissom (2/3). Kreuz and Price added a triple while Steenstra tallied an RBI double. 

The Defenders scored two runs in the first on a leadoff triple from Kreuz who scored on a Yager RBI single up the middle. Hensley reached on a fielder's choice and scored on Steenstra's double. 

Leading 2-0, Dordt added an insurance run in the fourth on a leadoff single by Grissom and RBI triple from Price.

Cabria Childers (0-1) took the loss for the Wildcats, giving up nine hits and three runs in six innings.

Up Next:

• Dordt will play Mayville State (N.D.) and Bellevue (Neb.) on day two of the Classic tomorrow (Saturday) at 3pm and 5pm.

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