Jimmie Softball Splits With Doane, Fri., Miska 17 K’s

CRETE, Neb.  (UJ)  — Morgan Geiszler (JR/Horace, N.D.) reached 200 career hits and Kat Miska (JR/Pequot Lakes, Minn.) struck out 17 batters as the University of Jamestown softball team defeated Doane University 7-3 in the first game of Friday’s doubleheader.

Doane took game two by a score of 4-2 for a split of the doubleheader. The Jimmies, now 27-11 overall and 10-6 in the GPAC, are at Hastings (Neb.) for a doubleheader on Saturday.

Geiszler’s run-scoring single in the top of the fourth was the 200th of her career, making her the seventh Jimmie player to reach 200 or more hits, and the first since Mikayla Frost accomplished the feat in 2019.

Miska was locked in the strike zone from the start, throwing 81 of her 99 pitches for strikes. She surrendered just three hits, two of them home runs by Shelby Downard that accounted for all three Tiger runs. Miska struck out the side in the first, second, fourth, and fifth, racking up her 11th game with 10 or more strikeouts this season.

In the top of the second, Santina Zito (SO/Boise, Idaho) led off with a single and came home on a one-out double by Katie Merchant (SO/South Haven, Minn.). Megan Neiles (FR/Winnipeg, MB) walked to put runners at first and second. Alexa Geller (FR/Fort Collins, Colo.), running for Merchant, and Neiles each moved up a base on Mariah Wick (JR/Jamestown, N.D.)’s bunt single. Geiszler drew a walk to force Geller home, then Kassi Ward (JR/Olympia, Wash.) delivered a two-run single to left, plating Neiles and Wick to make it 4-0 Jimmies.

Downard’s solo homer in the bottom of the second cut UJ’s lead to 4-1, but the Jimmies tacked on two more in the fourth. With one out, Wick walked and stole second. Geiszler singled to score Wick, then moved to second on Jenna Remenar (FR/Vancouver, Wash.)’s single. Sydney Prussia (JR/Detroit Lakes, Minn.) doubled to right center with two outs, scoring Geiszler.

The bottom of the sixth saw Doane score two runs with two outs, after Downard connected for her second home run of the game to make it 6-3.

Jamestown added a final run in the seventh as Zito scored on a Tiger error.

Geiszler, Ward, and Zito all had a pair of hits. The Jimmies finished with 10 hits as a team for the first time since they had 14 against Dordt (Iowa) on April 7.

Game two was scoreless after the first inning, but UJ got on the board in the top of the second thanks to Santina Zito‘s leadoff home run, her third of the season.

Doane tied the game in the bottom of the second, and the game remained tied at one until the bottom of the fourth. A double by Kayla Miller and single by Haley Kennedy gave the Tigers a 3-1 lead.

Kassi Ward singled home Mariah Wick in the top of the fifth as UJ cut the deficit to 3-2. Doane retook a two-run lead in the bottom of the sixth on a single by Blair Edeal to score Megan Elliott.

Ward went 3-for-4 while Wick was 2-for-3. Sydney Prussia also had a hit for the Jimmies.

Katie Merchant went the distance in the circle, giving up four runs on nine hits. She walked one and struck out four in her sixth complete game of the season.