Warriors bring down No. 16 Blue Hawks, V-Hawks in final NSAA games
By Aaron Schneider
LA CROSSE, Wisconsin – The Waldorf University softball team concluded the regular season with wins over Dickinson State University and Viterbo University during Sunday’s North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) matchups.
Waldorf (17-27, 10-14) opened the day by knocking off Dickinson State (40-9, 19-3) in a 6-5 victory. The Warriors followed with a 6-2 win over Viterbo (10-43, 3-20).
“Those were great wins over quality teams,” Waldorf coach Lexy Determan said.
Dickinson State is ranked No. 16 in the latest National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) poll. The Blue Hawks reached the NAIA World Series last season and presented the Warriors with a challenge in Sunday’s opener.
“The win over Dickinson State was a quality team win,” Determan said. “We did make some mistakes, but then the next play we would make a great play to make up for the mistake, instead of letting mistakes pile up. We finished our plays and didn’t let them take any extra bases.”
Waldorf’s Maggie Eden went 2-for-4 at the plate in Game 1 as the senior from Britt contributed two doubles and three RBIs. Senior Jessica Abrahamson went yard with a solo home run and two RBIs while going 2-for-4 at the plate. Junior Trista Bures added an RBI double. Sophomore Taylor Bell also provided a double while sophomore Hattie Hupke turned a single.
The Warriors cranked out 15 hits on the day.
“We did a much better job adjusting to every pitcher we saw,” Determan said. “We had a better approach at the plate and swung at strikes. We need to stay aggressive at the plate and make sure the pitches we take are quality takes where we are still getting timing and staying on the ball.”
McKennzie Bassett went 2-for-3 for the Blue Hawks with a two-run homer and an RBI single. Alex Vargas knocked out a solo jack, going 2-for-4 at the plate. Vargas’ homer was her 13th on the season. Brianna Grayson turned in a 3-for-4 performance with a double.
Senior Andrea Hartmann (5-8) secured the win. She struck out two batters, walked one and allowed five runs on 11 hits in seven innings.
Dickinson State’s Alexzandria Watson (19-2), the reigning NAIA Pitcher of the Week, was hit with the loss. She fanned 10 batters and surrendered three runs on five hits in four and two-thirds innings.
Amanda Flores started for the Blue Hawks and pitched two and one-third innings. She tallied a strikeout, two walks and allowed three runs (one earned) on two hits.
Abrahamson crushed a solo homer in the top of the first inning to put the Warriors on the board.
Eden belted a two-run double in the third to give Waldorf a 3-0 lead.
Dickinson State knotted the score at 3-all during the third after Vargas smacked a solo shot, and Bassett blasted a two-run homer.
Eden doubled in a run during the fifth as the Warriors regained the lead. Vargas scored on a wild pitch during the bottom half of the inning to tie the game. Bassett ripped an RBI single to put the Blue Hawks ahead by a run.
Bures slapped a sixth-inning RBI double to tie the game at 5-all.
Bell sparked Waldorf in the seventh with a leadoff double. Abrahamson delivered a single during the next at-bat to bring home Bell for the go-ahead run.
The Warriors shut down the Blue Hawks in the seventh to seal the upset victory.
Maggie Hawley tossed a four-hitter to guide Waldorf past Viterbo in the final game. Hawley (5-8) turned in a complete-game win as the senior from Missouri Valley punched out five batters, issued a walk and yielded two runs in seven innings.
The V-Hawks cranked out 16 hits against the Warriors when the two teams faced off a day ago, but Hawley and the defense were in command during the final go-around.
“Viterbo hit the ball well throughout the weekend, so we did a better job of keeping them at bay,” Determan said.
Senior Kaitlin Murphy went 2-for-4 and produced a solo blast against Viterbo. Bell singled in a run, finishing 2-for-4 at the plate. Hartmann and Bures cranked doubles. They each share the team lead with 13 doubles on the season. The Warriors also received singles from junior Ashton May and Abrahamson.
Viterbo’s Kelsey Ludwig finished 3-for-3 at the plate. Anna Lensmire went yard with a two-run shot, going 1-for-3.
Sarah Obert (3-10) was tagged with the loss. She walked two batters and relinquished five runs on three hits in one and two-thirds innings.
Caitlin Kozik gave up three hits, pitching two and one-third innings for the V-Hawks. Bailey Thur relived the final three innings. Thur handed out a walk and allowed an unearned run on two hits.
Lensmire smashed a two-run homer in the bottom of the first to give Viterbo an early lead.
The Warriors put together a five-run second. Murphy cranked a solo shot to ignite the offensive outburst. Hawley and Bures scored on wild pitches. Bell and Abrahamson contributed RBI singles to put the Warriors ahead by three runs.
Senior Tarah Hunt scored from third on a throwing error during the fifth.
Waldorf will compete in NSAA Tournament at Aberdeen, South Dakota, which begins on Friday with a quarterfinal matchup against an opponent yet to be determined.
“We found an excited confidence where we played comfortable and stayed within ourselves all day,” Determan said. “This is the feeling we need to find as we head in to the conference tournament.”
The winner of the NSAA Tournament receives an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament.