Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. – It was a matchup of unbeaten conference foes on Tuesday evening as (RV) Midland University hosted Dordt University in a doubleheader at Christensen Field in Fremont. The evenly matched squads needed five extra innings to decide the first game as the Defenders edged the Warriors 2-1 in 12 innings. Game two went to the Warriors 7-4 in the normal seven innings. The split moves Midland to 22-7 overall and 7-1 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) while Dordt moves to 24-6 on the season and 5-1 in conference play.
GAME ONE: Dordt 2, Midland 1 (12 innings)
The opening game of the doubleheader featured two of the top pitchers in the GPAC as Midland’s Aliyah Rincon went toe-to-toe with Abby Kraemer of Dordt. The two aces went the distance, pitching all 12 innings for their side.
In the bottom of the 2nd, the Warriors struck first as Mia Orduna hit an RBI double through the left side. Amanda Schmaderer, who reached on a fielder’s choice, came in to score all the way from first on the hit.
Two innings later, the Defenders manufactured a run as Karli Olsen led off a single and then advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. After a strikeout by Rincon, Ivy Terpstra drove in the tying run with an RBI double to right field.
Both pitchers settled in, working around the few base runners they saw up until the 10th inning when the international tie-breaker went into effect. Rincon and Kraemer rose to the challenge of a placed runner at second to start the innings, getting through the 10th and 11th unscathed.
In the 12th, Dordt used a sacrifice bunt to move the placed runner to third and then Lauren Steenstra laid down a second bunt back to the circle, allowing Emma Groen to score under the tag attempt from Ali Smith.
During the Warriors’ final at-bat, Schmaderer laid down a sacrifice bunt to get Rincon over to third. Dordt was able to keep the tying run from scoring as they induced a ground out followed by an infield pop-up to end the game that lasted 2 hours and 39 minutes.
Rincon went the full 12 innings, tossing a whopping 161 pitches and earning a career-high 19 strikeouts. Kraemer was equally impressive, throwing 179 pitches in the contest and striking out 15 batters, one shy of tying her career best.
Statistical Standouts
- Aliyah Rincon: 12.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 H, 19 K… 1-for-3
- Mia Orduna: 1-for-4, RBI
- Carly Pfitzer: 2-for-5
GAME TWO: Midland 7, Dordt 4
After Dordt struck for a run in the top of the 1st, Midland responded with two runs in the bottom to take command of the game. Aliyah Rincon, who somehow still had energy from pitching the first game, drove Emily Prai and Roni Foote with an RBI double to left-center with two outs. Prai led off the inning with a single up the middle and then Foote drew a one-out walk.
Two innings later, Keira Painter got things started as she led off with a single through the middle of the infield. Carly Pfitzer drove her in from second with an RBI single. After a fielder’s choice that failed to record an out, Amanda Schmaderer hit a single through the right side scoring Pfitzer from third and advancing Rincon up to bags.
Mia Orduna followed suit with a nearly identical hit, driving the ball into right-center to score Rincon and move Schmaderer to third. Dordt would get back-to-back pop-ups to escape the inning with just three runs allowed.
Trailing 5-1, the Defenders attempted a rally in the top of the 5th. They were able to get a pair of singles to start the inning and then worked the bases loaded with a one-out hit-by-pitch. An RBI groundout score the first run and then a single up the middle produced two more as they pulled within a run, 5-4.
Looking to give starting pitcher Paeton Coler some breathing room, the Warriors struck for a pair of runs in the bottom of the 6th. Pfitzer picked up a pair of RBIs with a one-out single through the right side. Prai and Painter both scored on the plate after they started the inning with a pair of singles.
For the game, Coler went 7.0 innings and struck out a season-tying best six batters. She allowed four runs on six hits to improve her individual record to 7-1.
Statistical Standouts
- Emily Prai: 3-for-4, 2 R, 2 SB
- Keira Painter: 3-for-4, 2 R
- Carly Pfitzer: 2-for-4, R, 3 RBI
- Aliyah Rincon: 1-for-3, R, 2 RBI, 2B
- Mia Orduna: 2-for-3, RBI
Midland (22-7, 7-1 GPAC) will have a quick turnaround as they continue their busy week of conference games. They’ll load up the bus and travel to face Hastings (12-16, 6-4 GPAC) on Wednesday afternoon. Game one of the GPAC doubleheader is slated for 4:00 p.m. at the Smith Softball Complex in Hastings, Nebraska.
