Courtesy of Midland Athletics
CRETE, Neb. – It all came down to the final day in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC), with four teams entering tied atop the standings. No. 22 Midland University knew what was at stake in its doubleheader against Doane University and responded by capturing a share of the regular-season title with a sweep. The Warriors rallied to win the opener, 5-2, and followed with another comeback in game two for a 6-2 victory.
GAME ONE: Midland 5, Doane 2
Playing in front of a senior day crowd, the Tigers struck first with two runs in their opening at-bat and controlled the game through three innings, limiting Midland to two hits.
Not a team to panic, Midland grinded out two runs in the top of the fourth. After a pair of singles and a fielder’s choice, Jaidan Wehrle doubled to right-center, driving in Danielle Schoby and Sophie De Rouin.
An inning later, the Warriors took the lead. Isabelle Pagan delivered an RBI double to score Alexis Shepherd, and Jayci Reimers followed with a single to left that went under the fielder’s glove. Pagan advanced to third on the play and scored on the error.
Midland added insurance later in the inning. Paxton Mitties came on to run and was joined by Emma Hodnet, who singled. Grace Behrns drove in the final run with a groundout to third.
After allowing two runs on three hits in the first inning, Campbell Petrick settled in, giving up just two hits the rest of the way. She finished with five strikeouts in a complete-game victory, her 11th of the season.
Statistical Standouts
- Jaidan Wehrle: 2-for-3, 2 RBIs, 2B
- Alexis Shepherd: 2-for-4, R
- Isabelle Pagan: 1-for-4, R, RBI, 2B
- Emma Hodnet: 2-for-4, SB
- Sophie De Rouin: 1-for-3, R
- Campbell Petrick: 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 H, 5 K
GAME TWO: Midland 6, Doane 2
In game two, Doane again took a two-run lead, scoring once in the first and adding another in the third on a pair of hits.
Midland cut the deficit in half in the fourth when Alexis Shepherd hit a solo home run. It was the first hit allowed by the Tigers’ pitcher until Emma Hodnet singled to lead off the fifth. Doane worked around the threat and held a 2-1 lead after five innings.
The Warriors broke through in the sixth. MaKenna Watkins singled with one out and stole second with two outs. Isabelle Pagan followed with an RBI double to right field, tying the game.
Charlee Wegner entered as a pinch runner and was joined on the bases by Jayci Reimers, who was hit by a pitch. With two outs, Emma Hodnet delivered the biggest hit of the day, driving a pitch over the left-field wall to give Midland the lead.
After a four-pitch walk to Grace Behrns, Mara Vonk entered as a pinch runner. She stole second and advanced to third on an errant throw. Claire Wisnieski later reached on an infield pop-up error, allowing Vonk to score and extend the lead to 6-2.
Mackenzie Groninga and the defense handled the rest, allowing just one hit and two baserunners over the final innings. The game ended on a lineout to third, where Hodnet secured the final out, clinching the regular-season championship for Midland.
Statistical Standouts
- MaKenna Watkins: 2-for-4, R
- Alexis Shepherd: 1-for-4, R, RBI, HR
- Isabelle Pagan: 1-for-4, RBI, 2B
- Emma Hodnet: 2-for-4, R, 3 RBIs, HR
- Mackenzie Groninga: 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 9 K
“I’m just really proud of them,” said head coach Beth Singleton. “This is the goal the senior class set at the beginning of the year, and everyone followed. The GPAC is really deep this year, so I’m proud of them for staying the course and finding a way to win.”
On clinching the top seed in the GPAC Tournament and a NAIA Opening Round berth, Singleton added, “I like it better this way. I like to know that we’ve earned it. One of our sayings this year was ‘earned, not given,’ and we wanted to make sure we were doing the right things on the field to get ourselves to the postseason and do big things there.”
Midland (36-12, 18-4 GPAC) earns the No. 1 seed in next week’s conference tournament. The Warriors hold the tiebreaker over Dordt, which was leading its game against Briar Cliff before it was halted due to weather. That contest will resume on Monday. This is Midland’s first GPAC regular-season championship since 2002.
The GPAC Tournament begins Wednesday at sites in Fremont, Nebraska (Midland bracket), and Sioux City, Iowa (Dordt bracket). Matchups and game times will be announced by the conference office.
