OMAHA, Neb. – The Dakota Wesleyan University softball team has won 20 games for just the second time in program history after sweeping Great Plains Athletic Conference newcomer College of Saint Mary Sunday in Omaha, Neb.
The Tigers got a complete game shutout performance from freshman pitcher Hallie Misiaszek (Mitchell, S.D.) in a 2-0 win in game one. Down 3-1 to the Flames in game two, DWU got three in the fifth and one late to escape with a 5-3 victory in the finale.
The wins push DWU to 21-13 overall and 4-2 in the GPAC. The Tigers are one win from matching the school record of 22 wins in a season with the bulk of the GPAC schedule still in front of them.
The Tigers and Flames battled to a scoreless tie through four innings in the opener as Misiaszek had CSM stifled. DWU broke through with the bat of senior outfielder Katy Lazenby (Mitchell, S.D.), who hit her first home run of the season in the fifth inning, bringing home the only two runs of the game. DWU has hit 19 home runs this season.
Misiaszek closed the door the rest of the way, going seven innings, allowing just four hits, while walking three and striking out five. Misiaszek is 7-3 on the season. The Tigers finished game one with two runs on five hits with no errors.
Game two saw the Flames go up by a pair with one in the first and two in the third. DWU took advantage of a pair of CSM errors in the fifth inning to score three and take a one-run lead. DWU got an insurance run in the sixth when junior Elise Sutherland (Stansbury, Utah) hit an RBI double in a pinch-hit role.
Freshman pitcher Sierra Haage (Sioux Falls, S.D.) got back in the win column with a complete game. She allowed three runs, two earned on eight hits, while walking three and striking out five. Haage is now 9-4, as the Tigers finished with five runs on 10 hits with two errors.
The Tigers return home for a GPAC doubleheader against Dordt College at 5 p.m. Tuesday at McWhirter Field in Mitchell, S.D.