The Softball team had an intense week of games, competing in three sets of doubleheaders. The Tigers started the week off at home hosting Hastings College, after which they hit the road to take on Briar Cliff University before finally returning home to play against Mount Marty University.
In the first game against Hastings, Doane jumped out to an early lead with one run in the first inning and another in the second. The Broncos were able to tie things up in the third inning with two runs, but this was answered by the Tigers with two runs of their own in the fourth inning. Doane held a 4-2 lead through the fifth inning and into the sixth before Hastings tied things up with two runs. It came down to the seventh and final inning, where sophomore Faith Molina hit a sacrifice fly to advance the runners and bring in the winning run.
After taking the first game in a 5-4 victory, the Tigers and Broncos faced off again, this time with Hastings nabbing the first run. Doane answered right away with three runs in the bottom of the first inning.
However, Hastings tied the score with two runs in the third and took the lead with one run in the fourth inning. Their lead was short lived as the Tigers brought in their own run in the bottom of the fourth to tie things at 4-4. This remained the score for the next five innings, forcing the game to go to extra innings. It was during this tenth inning that Doane bested Hastings with one more run, winning with the exact score as game one, 5-4.
The team capped off a successful day at home and immediately headed to Sioux City, Iowa to take on Briar Cliff University. Game one got off to a hot start as the Tigers scored three runs and the Chargers put up two runs all in the first inning.
High scoring innings continued as Doane scored four more in the second as Briar Cliff brought in three of their own. The Tigers took an inning off in the third whereas the Chargers added three more runs to their total, tying them score at 7-7.
Doane regained the lead with one run in the fourth inning and secured their victory with three runs in the fifth. The Tiger defense held tight for the rest of game one and grabbed the first game with an 11-7 win.
In game two, neither team put up any runs in the first inning. Doane got on the board in the second inning with one run, but that lead was overthrown by three runs from Briar Cliff in the bottom of the second. However, those would be the only runs scored by the Chargers.
The Tigers went on to add two runs in the fifth inning before having a great offensive showing in the seventh inning, where they brought in five runs. This put Doane ahead 8-3, a lead they would hold until the end.
Looking to extend their winning streak, Doane returned home to face off against Mount Marty University. The Lancers struck first in game one with two runs in the first inning and added one run in the third, sixth and seventh inning, all of which were unanswered by the Tigers.
It was not until the seventh inning that Doane was able to get on the board with three runs. However, it would not be enough and the first game would go to Mount Marty with a score of 5-3.
In game two, the Lancers were quick to strike again with two runs. This time, the Tigers were able to bounce back right away with four runs in the bottom of the first inning. The back and forth continued for the majority of the remaining innings.
In the third inning, Mount Marty drove in three runs while Doane brought in just one. Things were reversed in the following innings as the Lancers grabbed one in the fourth and the Tigers responded with three runs in the fifth. With that, Doane held their lead and won game two 8-6.
The Great Plains Athletic Conference Championship begins on May 1. In the first round, Doane’s Softball team will be playing against Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska.
