The Dordt Defender softball team split two games on Wednesday, April 29 in Sioux Center, Iowa at the GPAC Tournament. Dordt will play an elimination game on Thursday, April 30 at 12pm against Concordia for the right to move on to a rematch with Morningside. Dordt started the day with a 10-0 win over Briar Cliff and then lost a 2-0 contest with the Mustangs in the winners bracket.
Game 1: Dordt 10, Briar Cliff 0 (5 innings)
Box Score (PDF)
Dordt opened GPAC Tournament play with an offensive surge, scoring in three of the first four innings and pulling away for a 10-0 five-inning win over Briar Cliff on Wednesday afternoon in Sioux Center. The Defenders struck first in the opening inning and broke the game open with a four-run second before putting it out of reach with five runs in the fourth. Dordt recorded 10 hits and took advantage of four walks, while the pitching staff limited Briar Cliff to just two hits. A two-run rally in the seventh by Briar Cliff came too late as the Defenders had already secured control of the contest.
Dordt got on the board in the first inning when Lauren Steenstra drove in Rylee Yager with a single. The Defenders added four runs in the second inning, highlighted by an RBI double from Aubrey DeShaw and a two-run single by Steenstra to push the lead to 5-0. After a scoreless third, Dordt erupted in the fourth inning. Steenstra drove in another run after being hit by a pitch and Sumaya Edwards delivered the decisive blow with a grand slam to extend the lead to 10-0.
Rylee Yager earned the win in the circle, tossing five shutout innings and allowing just two hits while striking out five.
Team Stats
- Runs: Dordt 10, Briar Cliff 0
- Hits: Dordt 10, Briar Cliff 2
- Errors: Dordt 0, Briar Cliff 0
Dordt Leaders
Game 2: Morningside 2, Dordt 0
Box Score (PDF)
Dordt was limited offensively in its second game of the day, falling to Morningside 2-0 in a tightly contested matchup Wednesday afternoon. The Mustangs scored once in the first inning and added an insurance run in the fourth, while Dordt was unable to capitalize on several scoring opportunities despite collecting five hits.
Morningside opened the scoring in the first inning with a sacrifice fly after a leadoff single and double put runners in scoring position. Dordt threatened in the bottom half with a runner reaching third but could not push across a run. The Mustangs added their second run in the fourth inning with an RBI single to take a 2-0 lead.
Dordt scattered five hits across the game, including a double by Tera Lynn Price, but could not find the timely hit. The Defenders left multiple runners on base, including opportunities in the first, third, and fifth innings.
Chloe Kreuz took the loss despite a strong performance, allowing just two runs on four hits over seven innings.
Team Stats
- Runs: Morningside 2, Dordt 0
- Hits: Dordt 5, Morningside 4
- Errors: Both teams 0
Dordt Leaders
