The Tiger softball team saw their season come to a close much sooner than they had hoped, dropping a pair of games to open the conference tournament in Sioux City, Iowa. Doane lost 1-0 to Hastings College and 6-5 to Dordt College. Doane ends the season at 19-20.
Hastings: L 0-1
In a pitcher's dual, Hastings starter Stacy Paladino was able to get the one run she needed to defeat Doane starter Jennifer Liddell. The only run of the game came in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Doane looked like they might jump ahead of Hastings at the beginning of the game. Whitney Poole picked up an infield single to open the game. Mindy Nguyen followed with an infield single that was gloved by the Bronco third basemen but close to the pitcher's circle. Poole moved to second but tried to take third on the play as no one went to cover the bag. Poole was tagged out by Whitney King and then King made a throw down to second base to get Nguyen who was also trying to move up on the play. The potential for a big inning ended as did the Tiger's opportunity to put runs on the board.
Doane put two runners on with one out in the third but a pair of ground outs to Paladino stopped another Tiger opportunity.
Hastings also had opportunities in the first few innings, leaving two runners on base in the second and three on base in the fifth.
In the bottom of the sixth, Paladino led off the inning with a double but the pinch runner was caught off the bag on a fielder's choice as Tobiasson reached. Tobiasson moved up to second base on a single up the middle and came around to score on a hit to right field as the throw in by Christy Kobza was just up the third base line and Alyssa Ledon's tag attempt was missed.
Liddell took the loss, allowing seven hits and striking out five. Poole had two of the Tiger's five hits.
Dordt: L 5-6
Dordt jumped ahead 2-0 and rallied to defeat Doane by a run in the first elimination game of the day.
The Defenders scored a run in the first inning off of Tiger starter Emily Larsen. Larsen faced only four batters as she picked up one out but walked three batters and exited with the bases loaded. Liddell came in and allowed a hit that plated a run but Mindy Nguyen's throw in from left field went to third base and caught Amber Soodsma rounding third base. Liddell got a fly out to end the inning.
Dordt added a run in the second inning before Doane came back with four runs in the bottom of the second.
Following a fly out to start the inning, Liddell singled and Deidre Cardoza walked. Alyssa Ledon grounded out to second base to move the runners up a base each for Jennifer Montoya. Montoya singled to plate two runs for the Tigers and tie the game. Hannah Kroese followed with a double to plate Montoya and Whitney Poole singled to bring Kroese around for the Tiger's fourth run of the game.
Dordt came back to tie the game with two runs in the fifth inning, taking advantage of two Doane errors. They added a run in the sixth to take the lead as the Tigers committed another error that allowed the run to come across. In the seventh, Dordt used another Doane error to collect an insurance run that would prove key for the Defenders.
Doane came back in the bottom of the seventh as Christy Kobza reached second base on a dropped fly ball by the Dordt left fielder with one out. Amber Remmers reached on an error and moved up to second base on another error as Cardoza reached and Kobza scored to pull the Tigers with in one run. A fly out to center field ended the Tiger's rally, leaving the tying run at second base.
Jennifer Liddell took the loss, allowing five runs, one earned, over 6.2 innings. She allowed 10 hits and struck out four.
Jennifer Montoya went 2-for-3 with one run scored and two RBIs. Liddell went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Hannah Kroese went 1-for-2 with a run and a RBI.