TUCSON, Ariz. — Dakota Wesleyan Softball closed out its time at the Tucson Invitational Games against six NAIA opponents, able to end the trip on a high note and head into GPAC play with serious momentum.
The seventh total game, and first contest of the back half of the team's schedule at the TIG, saw Dakota Wesleyan square off against Providence (Mont.) in a high-scoring affair. The Argos opened the first with a series of solid hits. However, the Tigers were quick to strike back thanks to a two-run homer from Liliana Arreola and another run scored on an error that saw Macy Moore reach home. A two-RBI single was able to put Providence back in front, 5-3, but the bottom of the second and third innings would see the contest swing back in DWU's favor thanks to RBI singles from Jordyn Blogg and Alessandra Ciurca before a two-run homer by Avery Perkins gave the Tigers a two-run advantage. As both teams continued to trade runs, Mandalyn Nachtigall would put in six innings of work on the mound, tallying nine total strikeouts against 34 batters faced, ultimately being tabbed with the win. Ashlen Johnson and Arreola chimed in with single-shot home runs in the bottom of the fourth and sixth, and Johnson continued her impressive run through the end of the game, earning another RBI on a triple to right field. Keirstyn Krcil was able to shut down the rest of the Argos lineup in one inning of relief as the Tigers would claim a 15-11 victory.
The next game of the day saw the Tigers take on Ottawa (Ariz.) in what ended up being their final loss of the trip. Three-run frames in the bottom of the first and third innings from the Spirit gave them a comfortable lead early, and while Blogg was able to respond with a home run and Kassidy Lopez added to the effort with a sacrifice bunt to send Lydia Yost home, OUAZ was able to close the game out from their initial offensive burst. On the mound, Alison Ernsberger would record four strikeouts in six total innings pitched, and would receive support later in the game from the offense as Blogg would record another RBI, while Johnson and Elle Feser would both add individual RBIs in the top of the seventh, but Ottawa ultimately claimed the victory, 8-5.
Dakota Wesleyan rebounded in a big way in the next contest on March 12th, as the Tigers faced the Viterbo V-Hawks in what was the first of four consecutive wins. Arreola and Johnson recorded RBIs in the top of the first inning on well-placed fly balls into the outfield while Jaycee Tebay got involved with an RBI-single of her own in the bottom of the second to claim a 3-0 lead. Viterbo responded with two runs of their own, but it would be the only points of the contest for the V-Hawks as Nachtigall put up another impressive start, tallying five strikeouts and only allowing one earned run through six innings pitched. The offense would take care of the rest of the contest as Moore and Johnson would tally RBI singles before a three-run homer from Tebay in the top of the sixth sealed the victory for DWU, 8-2. Ivy Woolwine closed out the game in relief.
DWU would face Mayville State in their next two matchups, winning both contests, with the first by a score of 11-4. The Tigers got to work in the bottom of the second as a keen eye from Allyson Muth resulted in a walk as Moore was able to score in the middle of the at-bat on a passed ball before a left field line-drive single from Blogg would put up two more runs for DWU, giving the Tigers a 3-1 lead. They saw their lead grow with a sacrifice fly RBI from Yost and a hard grounder through the gap from Deanna Davidson in the bottom of the third, and added on to the scoring effort with RBIs from Arreola, Moore, and Grace Ortmeier. The Comets responded with a three-run inning in the top of the fifth, but the Tigers were able to add two more runs to the board to cruise to an 11-4 victory. Krcil would go four innings on the mound while Woolwine appeared for three in relief, combining for three strikeouts as the pair helped keep Mayville State's offense dormant.
The second game against the Comets had a similar pace to the one from the day before, but with a little more resistance from the opposition. Feser would give the Tigers their first run of the contest, and the team would find a huge momentum swing in the bottom of the third with a six-run frame that saw Moore and Perkins earn RBIs before a line drive to center field from Macey Linke would send home three base runners. Mayville State would work its way back into the game with five runs between the final three innings, but another big offensive frame from the Tigers put the game out of reach, scoring four more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Another RBI knock from Feser added an extra run beforehand as Yost, Blogg, and Linke would bring home runs on fielder's choice and sacrifice hits before a final line drive from Lopez put the game out of reach, 12-8, in favor of DWU. The combined efforts of Krcil, Woolwine, and Muth helped get the Tigers the win.
The final contest of the 12-game road trip saw DWU take on Westcliff in what started as a slow contest thanks to stellar defense and a full-game performance from Nachtigall, who tallied six strikeouts in another win on the mound. Neither team would be able to get on the board until the top of the fifth, when Ciurca found the gap on a grounder to send Lopez home before a passed ball on strike three of Tebay's at bat allowed her to reach base, while also getting Ciurca all the way around to home plate. Johnson would add to the lead on a wild pitch, reaching home during Dusti Draper's at-bat, and while Westcliff would finally get on the board after a line drive in the bottom of the sixth, the final frames would all favor the Tigers, as Moore would knock a three-run homer to center field before Feser and Blogg closed the trip with RBI singles. The Tigers would go 7-5 on the full road trip and move to 17-10 overall.
DWU Softball will be back in action for the GPAC and home opener on Wednesday, March 18th, starting at 3:00 PM. See the full 2026 schedule here.