ABERDEEN, S.D.  (uj.edu) — The 24th-ranked University of Jamestown softball team opened the 2019 season with a pair of wins Saturday at the Presentation College Dome Classic, defeating Presentation (S.D.) 7-1 and Dakota Wesleyan 11-10 in eight innings.

Jimmies 7, Saints 1

Morgan Geiszler (SO/Horace, ND) hit a second-inning grand slam and Meghan Ramage (SR/Grand Forks, ND) hit a two-run homer in the fifth to help the Jimmies defeat Presentaion 7-1 in Saturday’s opening game.

Katie Reisdorfer (SO/Fresno, CA) reached on a one-out walk, then Mariah Wick (SO/Jamestown, N.D.) and Mariah Martinez (FR/Visalia, Calif.) both were hit by pitch. With two outs, Geiszler connected on her first home run of the season for a 4-0 UJ lead.

Kassi Ward (SO/Olympia, WA) walked with one out in the top of the fifth, then with two outs, Ramage homered to left to make it 6-0 in favor of Jamestown.

Presentation scored an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth, but the Jimmies countered with a run in the seventh. Sydney Prussia (SO/Detroit Lakes, MN) scored on a throwing error by the Saints’ catcher for the final run.

Ramage went 3-for-4 to lead the Jimmie offense. Geiszler had two hits while Reisdorfer and Mikayla Frost (JR/Melba, ID) each added a single.

Katie Merchant (FR/South Haven, Minn.) (1-0) worked around five walks and four hits in five innings for the win. She struck out three and did not allow a run. Samm Hamilton (JR/Boise, Idaho) worked the final two innings, allowing an unearned run on two hits, walking one and striking out one.

Jimmies 11, Tigers 10 (8 innings)

Dakota Wesleyan scored five times in the first and three more times in the second, taking an 8-0 lead after two innings.

In the bottom of the third, Kassi Ward doubled to score Morgan Geiszler for UJ’s first run.

Jamestown closed the gap in the bottom of the fourth with four more runs. Miriah Yoder (SR/Devils Lake, ND) and Geiszler had run-scoring singles and Meghan Ramage doubled in two more to make it 8-5 in favor of DWU.

The Tigers extended their lead with two more runs in the top of the fifth, and it remained 10-5 until UJ came to bat in the bottom of the sixth.

Mariah Martinez was hit by a pitch with two outs, and Sydney Prussia hit a two-run home run to left to cut the deficit to 10-7.

Kassi Ward tied the game with a one-out, three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh.

After Jamestown kept DWU off the scoreboard in the top of the eighth, UJ loaded the bases with one out. Geiszler lined out to short, but Prussia was able to come home from third base with the winning run.

Katie Merchant (2-0) picked up the win in relief, working two scoreless innings, allowing one hit with one walk and one strikeout. Samm Hamilton started and went 1 1/3 innings, giving up seven earned runs on four hits and three walks. Ramage pitched 4 2/3 innings, giving up two runs on eight hits.

Yoder and Prussia finished with three hits each while Allie McCain (SR/Duvall, WA), Geiszler, and Ward had two hits.

The Jimmies will play three games on Sunday at the Presentation College Dome. At 10:00 a.m., Jamestown faces No. 25 Valley City State (N.D.), then will take on Presentation (S.D.) at noon. UJ finishes the weekend against Dakota State (S.D.) at 4:00 p.m.