WAVERLY, Iowa – Softball split its home-opener doubleheader against Millikin University after falling in game one 5-3 and defeating the Big Blue in game two 6-4 behind home runs from
Reagan Hassel and
Jenna Wiebenga.
Wartburg is now 11-5 overall and Millikin moves to 8-5 overall.
Game Summary
- Game One
- First Inning
- Following a one-two-three inning for the Wartburg defense, Liz Kruckenberg, Reagan Hassel both reached base to put runners on second and third early for Wartburg
- Katelyn Klever brought home the first run of the day with a sacrifice fly that scored Kruckenberg
- Second Inning
- Both Amanda Strzyzewski and Kruckenberg each singled in the second inning, but were left stranded as the Knights held a 1-0 lead
- Third Inning
- Millikin was able to tie the game up in the following inning after a walk and a double put two runners in scoring position
- Wartburg held the Big Blue to one run and the game was tied 1-1 headed to the fourth inning
- Fourth Inning
- The Big Blue brought three runs across in the fourth inning after four hits, but the Knights stranded three runners to limit the damage as Millikin led 4-1
- Fifth Inning
- Wartburg turned three singles into two runs in bottom of the fifth after Jenna Wiebenga, Klever and Carley Bredar all reached base for the Knights, before Addy Wells ripped a single to center field that scored two runners and cut the Millikin lead to 4-3
- Sixth Inning
- The Big Blue responded in the next frame with a solo shot home run that pushed the Millikin lead to 5-3 headed into the final two chances for Wartburg
- Seventh Inning
- Klever singled in the bottom of the seventh, but that was the only hit for the Knights in the sixth and seventh innings as Millikin held off the Knights 5-3
- Game Two
- First Inning
- Millikin struck first with an RBI single and an RBI double in the opening frame to open up a 2-0 lead
- Hasssel led off the bottom of the first and crushed the first pitch she saw over the left field wall to make the score 2-1
- Mulder singled and Larson walked to put runners on base for Bredar, who singled through the left side gap to bring home two runs for the Knights and give Wartburg a 3-2 lead
- Second Inning
- Millikin's hot offensive start continued in the second inning as the Big Blue used a four-single inning to bring another two runs across and retake the lead 4-3
- In the bottom of the second, Hassel picked up her second extra-base hit of the game with a double before she was brought home by a Wiebenga single to tie the game at 4-4
- Fifth Inning
- The Knights retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth with a no-doubt home run to left field from Wiebenga that pushed the score to 5-4
- Sixth Inning
- Hannah Hoefer and the Wartburg defense retired seven-straight batters before a single stopped the streak in the top of the sixth
- Wartburg allowed no runs and the Knights' lead remained 5-4
- Bredar got hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom half and then she scored from second base after an RBI-single from Hassel put the Knights in front 6-4 headed to the final frame
- Seventh Inning
- The Knights put down the Big Blue offense in order to secure a 6-4 win in game two
Top Performers
Notes/Streaks
- The all-time series is now 5-5 between these teams
- Hassel moved her hitting/reached base streak to 15 games
- First career complete game for Hoefer
- Her 5-1 record leads the team
- First home run of the season for Wiebenga
- Team-high third home run this season for Hassel
- Seventh multi-RBI game for Hassel this season
- Wells and Bredar each recorded their second multi-RBI game this season today
- Wiebenga recorded her sixth mutli-RBI game
- Wiebenga (23), Hassel (19) and Mulder (19) lead the team in RBI this season
Next Time Out
The Knights will be back in action on Wednesday, Mar. 25 in a doubleheader against the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse on the road beginning at 2 p.m.
