The Softball team kicked off their spring season with four games on the road at the American State Bank Tournament in Sioux Center, Iowa. The Tigers kicked off two games on Feb. 2 before playing in two more the next day.
Doane played their first game against Culver-Stockton College, starting off with a close game in the opening innings. The Tigers received a single run courtesy of junior Grace Dowding who was batted in by senior Jadyn Hunt. However, Culver-Stockton batted in nine runs, giving Doane their first loss.
The Tigers faced another challenging game against William Penn University after a tough loss. This defensive game was decided by a single run late in the sixth inning, and Doane added another loss to their record.
The Softball team had a quick turnaround and was faced with two more games the next day. Kansas Wesleyan University was next on the docket for the Tigers and KWU was looking to avenge last year’s shutout handed to them by Doane. After a big first inning put KWU up by eight, they continued to add to their lead in the second inning with five more runs. One last run was batted in by Kansas Wesleyan, who would go on to win 14-0. The final game of the tournament saw a rematch between Doane and Culver-Stockton. The Tigers jumped out to an early lead thanks to a two-run triple from sophomore Isabella Beauchamp. Beauchamp was walked in by Hunt to put Doane up by 3-0.
A comeback attempt was launched by Culver-Stockton after they batted in two runs in the fifth. However, the Tigers were quick to strike back after an error allowed Beauchamp and junior Anna Prauner to get across the plate. Doane picked up their first win of the season, 5-2.
The Softball team faces several games on Feb. 16 and 17 as part of the NAIA Invitational. They will play MidAmerica Nazarene University followed by Tabor College and Evangel University on Feb. 16. They will then take on Avila University on the following day.