Warriors blast Comets, sweep NSAA doubleheader
By Aaron Schneider
AUSTIN, Minnesota – The Waldorf University softball team swept Mayville State University in Wednesday’s doubleheader to lock up three victories in the four-game North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) series.
Taking care of business, the Warriors (7-13, 3-1) powered to a 9-1 victory in six innings to open the twin bill. Waldorf notched an 8-5 win in the series finale behind a sixth-inning rally.
“I am very proud of the girls for their last two days of games,” Waldorf coach Lexy Determan said. “After two long games [on Tuesday], for them to come as focused and ready as they did [on Wednesday] is really a testament to how much they have grown.”
After cranking out 29 hits on Tuesday, the Warriors continued clicking on offense by producing 28 hits in the final two games to claim the series win over the Comets (8-13, 1-3).
“It was a quick turnaround from [Tuesday’s] games,” Determan said. “We really used our hitting momentum from [Tuesday] to carry through [Wednesday].”
Junior Ashton May drove in two runs for the Warriors, going 3-for-4 at the plate in the opener. Senior Maggie Eden went 2-for-3 with a two-run double and senior Andrea Hartmann turned in a 2-for-3 performance with an RBI double.
Waldorf junior Trista Bures provided two hits, including a double. Senior Jessica Abrahamson added two hits. Senior Kaitlin Murphy and junior Hailey Kofron each turned in RBI doubles as the Warriors finished with 13 hits.
Mayville State’s Tiffany Soria went yard for a solo home run. Alexandria Tinoco, Nina Gurgian and Allie Doll contributed singles as the Comets were held to four hits.
The Warriors kept Mayville State’s offense at bay just one day after seeing the Comets pound out 27 hits.
“It also says a lot about our pitching staff to keep their batters in check as well as they did through the day,” Determan said. “The catchers both called good games and you can see our pitchers and catchers finding a rhythm.”
Hartmann (1-4) earned the win, tossing a four-hitter. She struck out a batter, walked three and allowed one run in six innings.
Felicia Gonzales (0-3) was handed the loss after starting and working three innings. She tallied four strikeouts, issued two walks and surrendered three runs on seven hits.
Mayville State’s Monica Gomez closed out the final two and two-thirds innings, walking two batters and relinquishing six runs (five earned) on six hits.
Eden connected for a two-run double to put the Warriors in front in the bottom of the first inning.
Soria knocked out a solo shot in the second to put the Comets on the board.
May drove in another run with a third-inning single.
Hartmann started a four-run fourth as she doubled to score Hupke. Bures scored on the same play following a throwing error by Mayville State. Murphy contributed an RBI double and later scored when junior Brittani Sanchez reached on an error, pushing the Warriors to a 7-1 lead.
Kofron provided a run-scoring double in the sixth. May delivered an RBI single, bringing the game to an end on account of the mercy rule.
Bures connected for an RBI double while going 3-for-3 at the plate in the series finale. Hupke went 3-for-4 with a double and a run-scoring single. Eden finished 2-for-3, knocking in a run and producing two doubles. Sophomore Taylor Bell turned in a 2-for-3 performance with an RBI triple.
Abrahamson drove in a run, closing out the game with a pair of singles. Hartmann and May collected doubles while Murphy added a single in Waldorf’s 15-hit showing.
Daisy Macias went 2-for-4 at the plate for the Comets. Tinoco also provided an RBI double.
Sophomore Kaylie Brindley went four and one-third innings after starting inside the pitcher’s circle. She fanned two batters, gave up five walks and five runs on six hits.
Briley Sullivan (3-1) recorded the win as the sophomore from Laurens walked two batters and yielded two hits in two and two-thirds scoreless innings.
Lauren Coronado pitched the first one and one-third innings for Mayville State. She struck out a batter and allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits.
Gonzales was hit with the loss following four and two-thirds innings of relief. She finished with two strikeouts, two walks and gave up four runs on nine hits.
Bures doubled in a run during the bottom of the first to give the Warriors an early advantage.
May connected for a second-inning RBI double. Bell ripped an RBI triple and Hupke extended Waldorf’s lead to 4-0 with a run-scoring single.
Tinoco cracked an RBI double during the third. Macias later scored on a wild pitch to cut Mayville State’s deficit to two runs.
Megan Evans added a run for the Comets in the fifth after scoring on an error. Soria and Megan Rabe produced RBI singles as Mayville State took a 5-4 lead.
The Warriors rallied to score four runs in the sixth. Hartmann started the comeback by belting a two-run double, Abrahamson knocked in a run with a single and Eden doubled in the final run.
“All day, I felt we found a way to have a controlled confidence and stay in control of the game,” Determan said. “The game started to get chippy and after playing the same team four games in a row, it’s great to see our girls remain focused through the end of the game and finish the series.”
Waldorf faces off with Bellevue University (11-13, 3-1) for a four-game NSAA series in Bellevue, Nebraska. The Warriors take on the Bruins in doubleheaders on Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m.
“The way we’ve been playing has been a lot of fun,” Determan said. “We still have the opportunities to keep pushing to get better. We need to have two good practices and keep our foot on the accelerator for some huge conference games at Bellevue this weekend.”