Softball wins six straight
By Heidi Hildebrandt
Northwestern picked up six wins this week, sweeping doubleheaders against Nebraska Wesleyan, Dakota Wesleyan and Briar Cliff. The Red Raiders improve to 22-14, 12-6 in the GPAC conference.
NW 2, Nebraska Wesleyan 0
Freshman Lexy Determan pitched a shutout in game one, allowing just two singles, walking none and striking out 14. Determan hit an RBI double to score freshman Jenny Otto in the second and senior Amy Larson hit a solo home run in the fifth. Freshman Rachel Harris had two doubles. Senior Lizz Swanson and freshmen Stacey Godfrey and Lara Vonnahmen each had one hit.
NW 2, Nebraska Wesleyan 0
Determan pitched another shutout in game two of the contest. She threw 11 strikeouts, walked just four batters, and allowed three singles. Senior Michelle Van Duyn hit an RBI single in the third to score Otto, and Swanson belted her ninth home run of the season to lead off the fourth inning. Van Duyn, Swanson, Godfrey and Determan each had one hit.
NW 3, Dakota Wesleyan 2
The Raiders fell behind early, 2-0 in game one. With two outs in the fifth inning, Van Duyn smacked an RBI single to score Harris and Larson hit a two-run single to give the Raiders a 3-2 advantage. Determan gave up six hits on the mound, allowed two runs and struck out eight. Van Duyn, Harris, and Vonnahmen each had two hits.
NW 9, Dakota Wesleyan 0
Senior Gabrielle Burrola threw a shutout in game two as the Raiders won in five innings. She struck out two and did not give up any walks. NW scored three runs in the first, three in the third, two in the fourth and one in the fifth to record the win. The Raiders had nine hits, led by Swanson, who was 2-4 with one home run and Harris, who went 2-3.
NW 5, Briar Cliff 0
Determan allowed just one hit in game one, walked two and struck out six. The Raiders had seven hits led by sophomore Sara Curry, who was 2-3. Van Duyn belted a three-run double with two outs in the second and Godfrey hit a two-run single in the fifth.
NW 1, Briar Cliff 0
In game two, the only run was scored by the Raiders in the fourth inning. Curry tripled with two outs and scored on a BCU error. Burrola pitched for five and two-thirds innings, striking out two and giving up three hits. Determan finished the last one and one-third innings for her second save. This was the third straight shutout for NW pitchers.
Honors
Lexy Determan become NW’s single season strikeout leader in game two against Briar Cliff with 189. She broke the record set by Megan McHugh in 2007. The freshman is 15-7 for the season.
The Raiders compete against GPAC rival Dana College tomorrow in a doubleheader at home. The opening pitch is set for 3 p.m.