Midland University Softball Sweeps Concordia
Fremont, Neb. – Midland University softball picked up two conference wins over Concordia on Thursday. The Warriors honored their two seniors, Emily Kmiecik and Matti Petersen, in their last home game of the season.
"I think we played our best back to back games tonight," said Keith Kramme, Midland University softball head coach. "We played solid defense both games for the most part, and both pitchers were very good. The best part of the night was how we responded offensively after struggling at the plate on Sunday. We had much better at bats tonight."
The Warriors defeated the Bulldogs 8-2 in the opener. Midland struck right out of the gate with seven runs in the bottom of the first while also recording seven hits in the inning. The scoring frenzy was capped off by a Jennie Sayker single batting in Kourtney Wallick and Liz Spooner. Concordia got on the board in the third inning and added another run in the fifth. The Warriors added their eighth and final run in the fourth inning when Matti Petersen scored on a Wallick single. Sammy Hislop earned the win after giving up just two runs in seven complete innings. Hislop recorded seven strikeouts in the win. Midland recorded 11 hits in the contest. Kayla Ritzdorf was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with one run and one RBI. Jennie Sayker went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and one run, while Nicole Andrews, Matti Petersen, Sammy Hislop, Emily Kmiecik, Kourtney Wallick, and Liz Spooner each recorded a run.
Midland University completed the sweep with a 2-0 victory in game two. The Warriors struck first with Sarah Leimser plating Jennie Sayker in the bottom of the third inning. The Warriors expanded their lead in the sixth to take a 2-0 advantage over Concordia. Midland's defense shut down the Bulldog's in the final inning with three straight outs to pick up the victory. Sarah Leimser had a strong performance from the circle, holding the Bulldogs scoreless in the contest. Leimser gave up just five hits with three strikeouts in seven complete innings. Jennie Sayker was 3-for-4 with a double, a stolen base, one RBI, and one run. Liz Spooner, Rebekka Hammer, Emily Kmiecik, Sarah Leimser, and Nicole Andrews each recorded one hit in the win, while Alexis Spath recorded one run.
The Warriors jump to 16-19 overall and 10-6 in conference play with the wins, while Concordia drops to 12-23 overall and 6-10 in conference play. Midland hits the road to face Briar Cliff University on Saturday, April 27th. The doubleheader is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. in Sioux City, Iowa.