The Nebraska Wesleyan softball team left 19 combined runners on base in a Great Plains Athletic Conference softball doubleheader and lost a pair of one run games to Concordia University Wednesday in Seward, Neb. The Bulldogs won game one, 3-2, in nine innings, then took the nightcap, 5-4. The losses snap the Prairie Wolves six-game winning streak as NWU falls to 16-12, 8-6 GPAC.
Game one was a classic battle where each team had chances for victory. In the seventh, eighth and ninth innings, NWU had runners reach first base with one out or less but failed to advance them.
In the bottom of the ninth, Concordia's leadoff batter reached base on an error and advanced to second base. A sacrifice moved her to third base before Eloge got the game-winning hit.
NWU led 1-0 early after Marcia Kennedy drove in Megan Beckstead in the top of the first. Concordia scored a run each in the bottom of the second and third innings to go up 2-1.
The Prairie Wolves tied the game in the fifth inning as Kelsey Worley drove in Beckstead with a sacrifice fly. However, the Prairie Wolves were unable to capitalize with the timely hit as they left 10 runners on base in game one.
Dani Bryant led NWU at the plate going 3-5, while Beckstead and Kennedy each had two hits. Alysia Wittmaack took the loss allowing two earned runs and nine hits in 8 1/3 innings while striking out nine.
In game two, the Bulldogs jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first on a two-run home run.
NWU would answer with a run in the second and three in the third to go up 4-1. Allison Brandt had an RBI double to drive in the run in the second. The Prairie Wolves took advantage of two Bulldog errors in the third. Amy Peterson singled in Jamie Jaques and Worley scored on an error.
Concordia came back to plate two in the bottom of the third. Then Baker led off the bottom of the fifth with a home run to put the Bulldogs up for good.
Nebraska Wesleyan had a chance to tie the game in the seventh. Jenna Turner led off with a single. Beckstead sacrificed pinch runner Kim Salber over to second. Jaques then singled to get runners at first and third with one out. However a pop up and strikeout would follow as NWU left nine runners on base in game two.
Bryant, Turner and Andrea Thorne each had two hits to lead the NWU offense. Baillee Holt took the loss on the mound as she pitched the final three innings in relief of Wittmaack.
NWU now returns home to face Morningside College on Friday (April 17) in a makeup doubleheader that will start at 5 pm.
