The Doane Softball team competed in two doubleheaders over the previous weekend, starting in Seward, Nebraska to take on the Concordia University Bulldogs. The Tigers then returned home to host the Morningside University Mustangs.
Doane started their conference play off against their “crosstown” rivals over at Concordia. It was a very evenly matched battle between the two teams, and each team won a game with a very narrow margin of victory.
The first game against the Bulldogs saw Concordia utilizing their home field advantage. The Tigers got themselves on the board first with a single run in the third inning. Neither team scored for the next three innings until Concordia brought in three runners to put them up 3-1.
Despite a late push by Doane with a single run in the seventh inning, it would not be enough and the Bulldogs took game one 3-2. In the second game, the Tigers were posed to strike earlier, picking up a run in the first and third.
Concordia answered with runs of their own in the fourth and fifth innings to tie things 2-2. Once again, the Tigers used their momentum later in the game to add two runs in the sixth inning and held the Bulldogs scoreless, winning the second game 4-2.
Upon their return home, Doane continued conference play as they hosted a doubleheader against Morningside University. Once again, it was a very evenly matched set of games between the two teams, each winning one game.
The Mustangs struck first in the first game, snagging a run in the third and another in the fourth. Doane answered with a run of their own in the fourth and followed it up with one in the sixth, tying things again at 2-2.
After two scoreless innings from both teams, the Mustangs finally put an end to the game with a run in the ninth inning to win 3-2. Bouncing back in the second game, Doane was the first team to put a run up, collecting their first run in the first inning.
Morningside eventually tied things up in the fifth inning with a run and took the lead in the following inning with three runs. Down 4-1, things looked bleak for the Tigers until the bottom of the sixth inning.
Seven total runs were scored by the Tigers during this inning, which would go on to win them the second game with a final score of 8-4. Doane is now split 2-2 in conference play at the start of their season.
The Softball team will be at home on April 3 to play a doubleheader against Midland University. The team then hits the road on April 6 and heads to Sioux City, Iowa to take on Briar Cliff University in another conference doubleheader.