Courtesy of Midland Athletics
ORANGE CITY, Iowa – It was a battle of the top two teams in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) as No. 22 Midland University traveled to take on No. 7 Northwestern College on Monday afternoon. The conference-leading Red Raiders edged past the Warriors in the opener, 3-2, before Midland battled back to earn the series split with a 5-1 win in Game 2.
GAME ONE: Northwestern 3, Midland 2
Northwestern took an early lead in the first game of the doubleheader, scoring a run in each of the first two innings. Midland clawed back and pulled even in the top of the fourth as Alexis Shepherd hit a two-run home run with Jayci Reimers on base.
After being held without a baserunner in the fourth and fifth innings, the Red Raiders got a runner on via an error in the sixth. A stolen base and a flyout moved the potential go-ahead run to third with two outs. An RBI single up the middle plated the eventual winning run.
Midland was kept in check offensively over the final few innings.
Campbell Petrick was dealt the loss in the circle for the Warriors. She went six complete innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits with two strikeouts.
Statistical Standouts
- Jayci Reimers: 1-for-2, R, BB
- Alexis Shepherd: 1-for-3, R, 2 RBI, HR
GAME TWO: Midland 5, Northwestern 1
The second game remained scoreless through the first three innings. In the fourth, Midland got base hits from Matti Reiling and Kamdyn Barrientos. With two outs and runners on the corners, Reimers delivered an RBI single to right field.
Northwestern countered in its half of the inning, scoring on a sacrifice fly after a pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases. That would be all the Red Raiders could muster, as Paeton Coler and the defense allowed just three hits the rest of the way without yielding another run.
In the top of the sixth, Floro and Reiling hit back-to-back singles to spark a rally. Following a pitching change, Barrientos drew a walk to load the bases with one out. Reimers again came through, delivering a single to shallow right that scored Floro and Reiling, giving Midland a 3-1 lead.
In the seventh, Emma Hodnet drew a walk as a pinch hitter. Floro reached on a fielder’s choice, and Reiling drove in a run and reached on an error. The miscue put two runners in scoring position with no outs.
With one out, Reimers reached on a fielder’s choice that scored Floro. That proved to be the final run of the game as Midland earned the 5-1 win.
Coler was solid in the circle, going the distance. Over seven innings, she scattered seven hits, allowed one run, and struck out two.
Statistical Standouts
- Reese Floro: 1-for-4, 2 R
- Matti Reiling: 2-for-4, 2 R, RBI
- Jayci Reimers: 2-for-4, 4 RBI
Midland (33-12, 15-3 GPAC) will be back in action on Tuesday when it hosts Hastings (19-19, 7-11 GPAC). The conference doubleheader, originally slated for Wednesday, was moved up a day due to forecasted rain. First pitch from Schilke Fields in Fremont, Nebraska, is scheduled for 4 p.m. on April 22.
