College Update #7

Brittany Hince Siwicki: This past Saturday UBC played the Richmond boys midget team ending in a decisive win for UBC Thunderbirds. Britt had two hits driving in a couple runs. This is there first win against the boys team so they are firing up for Regionals! UBC played Sunday at a midget league opener against the Abbotsford Outlaws and won, Britt hit two line drives. Defensively Britt had limited action in both games successfully fielding the plays that came her way. They are now prepping for Regionals with a game Tuesday and Thursday against the boys. Have to mention.... the study year is officially over, so spirits are high!

Courtney Kwasnitza:  Playing their first home games of the season on Saturday, Illinois College ran its winning streak to 7 with a doubleheader sweep of Grinnell College, 11-1, and 7-1. Courtney continued to spark the Lady Blues from the lead-off spot with 4 hits in 7 at-bats, 3 runs scored, and 2 stolen bases.  

IC travelled to Lake Forest College on Sunday for an important Midwest Conference South Division tilt against the 1st place “Foresters”. After losing 8-0 in the opener, IC rebounded decisively with a 7-0 decision in the nightcap, limiting the potent Lake Forest bats to 2 hits. The Lady Blues sit in 2nd place in the South Division with a record of 18-12 (9-4 in conference play), including 10 wins in its last 12 games.

The Lady Blues lead the Midwest Conference in most team offensive categories including batting average, hits, runs scored, home runs, slugging percentage, and RBI’s. IC wraps up its regular season next week with two home doubleheaders. The top two teams from both divisions qualify for the Midwest Conference championship May 3 & 4.

Dani Klassen:  Dodge City finished the week with 2 wins and 2 loses. Their regular season has come to an end and now wait for their first round opponent. The biggest concern going into the playoffs is the pitching situation for Dodge. They started the season with 5 pitchers but are now left with 2 who started the season with them and one more they have recently picked up. Dani had a good week going 4 for 5 at the plate hitting 2 singles, a double and her first home run of the season. She finishes the regular season batting .545 and six stolen bases.

Hailey Unger:  The Dakota Wesleyan University softball team played for the first time since April 7th, on Tuesday April 16th, and lost a pair of games to Morningside College (Ranked #1) in a Great Plains Athletic Conference doubleheader in Sioux City, Iowa. The Tigers are scheduled to host Mount Marty College Monday, April 22, at McWhirter Field. Hailey is the top freshman in the Great Plains Athletic Conference in Batting in the following categories. Batting Avg 6th/.457, Slugging Pct 11th/.600, Hits/Game 3rd/1.60; Runs Batted In/Game 2nd /1.20; Doubles 2nd/.80; On Base Pct 10th/ .486

Makensy Payne: To earn the right to host next weekend’s playoff series, the Dodge City Conquistadors needed a split in their last double header, and they did one better by winning both games. In game two, down 7-5 in the bottom of the sixth, Crash led off with her third home run of the season, this time an opposite field shot, but the Conqs weren’t finished there. Six batters later, the Canadian Connection struck again when roommate Danielle hit the fourth home run of the inning to give the Conqs the cushion they needed for an 11-9 victory. Soon after the game the team got the news that Dodge is now ranked fifth in the nation in home runs.

 

The Lady Conqs finished the week with an exhibition series against Division 1 Garden City. The team scored just four runs in the two games, but Crash was a big part of the offense, hitting a single and a double, driving in two runs and scoring another while adding a stolen base. Makensy ended the season with an overall batting average of 390 and an on base percentage of 474. During league play the numbers were even better: a 409 batting average with a 506 on base percentage. On to the playoffs…

Regan Lawrence: Dickinson improved their record to 18 and 13 with a 4 game sweep of Valley City. The games had to be played in Montana as the North Dakota diamonds are under the 17 inches of snow that fell last weekend. Regan improved her record to 5 and 4 picking up the win in a 8-2 victory. Over the weekend she was 1 for 3 with a run scored and a RBI.
More games are scheduled in Montana for the upcoming week but the forecast there is calling for more snow

Taylor Studler:  Minot won 5 out of 6 games this week. Due to weather they had to travel to St. Cloud to play in the Huskey Dome. It was a rough weekend for Taylor and the Studler family as Jen spent the weekend in the hospital. CT scan , MRI and blood work seem to be normal. We are hoping it was a pinched nerve in her back. Much better than the irregular heart beat or mini stoke they first diagnosed. Taylor found it very difficult to be away from home. She does seem to be a human target as she was hit by pitches twice in a game against St. Cloud.