Saturday…
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (uj.edu) — Looking at the result of Saturday’s opening game in the best-of-three GPAC Championship series, one would think the Morningside Mustangs would cruise to the title, having won eight in a row and 22 of 24, including three straight against the University of Jamestown by a combined score of 26-3.
Despite losing 13-0 in five innings in the opener, the Jimmie softball team responded in game two with a 7-5 victory to force a winner-take-all third game. In the finale, Morningside scored twice in the bottom of the fifth and hold on for a 3-1 win.
The Mustangs (30-9) earn the GPAC’s second automatic qualifying bid to the NAIA National Championship, while the Jimmies most likely have their season end with a record of 30-21.
Game 1: Mustangs 13, Jimmies 0 (5 innings)
Morningside sent 13 batters to the plate in bottom of the second, scoring nine times on five hits, a pair of UJ errors, and a wild pitch. The nine-run outburst put Jamestown in an early hole that was too much to overcome as the Mustangs won 13-0 in five innings.
Hallie Misiaszek and Alex Nelson combined on a one-hit shutout, facing just two batters over the minimum. Mikayla Frost (JR/Melba, ID)’s two-out single in the top of the third and an error allowing Morgan Geiszler (SO/Horace, ND) to reach in the top of the second accounted for the only Jamestown baserunners.
Katie Merchant (FR/South Haven, Minn.) was roughed up for seven runs on four hits in just an inning and a third. Three of the runs allowed by Merchant were unearned.
Morningside made it 10-0 with a single run in the third, then added three more in the fourth before Nelson retired the Jimmies in order in the top of the fifth.
Game 2: Jimmies 7, Mustangs 5
The Jimmies found themselves down 4-0 and 5-2, then rallied for five runs in the top of the seventh in a 7-5 win that evened the series at a game apiece.
Morgan Geiszler and Katie Reisdorfer (SO/Fresno, CA) had run-scoring singles in the fourth to cut Morningside’s lead to 4-2. The Mustangs got one of the runs back in the fifth, making the score 5-2.
Miriah Yoder (SR/Devils Lake, ND) struck out swinging to begin the seventh, but reached first on the dropped strike. Mariah Martinez (FR/Visalia, Calif.) and Mariah Wick (SO/Jamestown, N.D.) both singled to load the bases, then Mikayla Frost was hit by a pitch to force in a run. Allie McCain (SR/Duvall, WA) singled to left, scoring Martinez and keeping the bases loaded. A fielder’s choice off the bat of Meghan Ramage (SR/Grand Forks, ND) brought in Wick, tying the game at five while leaving runners at first and second with one out. A passed ball moved the runners up one base each. After a strikeout for the second out of the inning, Geiszler singled to right, scoring McCain and Ramage to give the Jimmies a 7-5 lead.
The Mustangs had their first batter in the bottom of the seventh reach on a single, but Merchant retired the next three hitters in order.
Reisdorfer was 3-for-4 and Geiszler finished 2-for-4 as part of the UJ 10-hit attack.
Game 3: Mustangs 3, Jimmies 1
Two runs in the bottom of the fifth ended up being the difference as Morningside took the finale by a score of 3-1.
Morningside led 1-0 until the top of the fifth, when Sydney Prussia (SO/Detroit Lakes, MN) singled home Mikayla Frost to make it 1-1. Jamestown loaded the bases on a walk and back-to-back errors, then had the lead runner at third forced out on a fielder’s choice.
In the bottom half, the Mustangs’ first batter tripled to left, then the next batter doubled to make it 2-1. A sacrifice fly accounted for the second run of the frame and a 3-1 lead.
Frost and Geiszler each rapped a double, while Ramage and Reisdorfer also had hits.
Merchant went all six innings in the circle, allowing seven hits and three runs. She walked two and struck out two.
GPAC championship, Sioux City, IA
Best-of-three series
Game 1
Morningside (Iowa) College 13 University of Jamestown 0 (5 innings)
Game 2
University of Jamestown 7, (RV) Morningside (Iowa) College 5
Game 3
(RV) Morningside (Iowa) College 3, University of Jamestown 1
