Jimmies recover from opener loss with tie against Northwestern

ORANGE CITY, I.A. — Due to the rain storm hitting the Jamestown area, the University of Jamestown went to Northwestern College to play a “home” double header against the Red Raiders on Saturday, April 30, in Orange City, Iowa. In the first game, the Jimmies hurlers struggled giving up seven runs on 10 hits in a 7-1 loss.

The Red Raiders opened the scoring in the top of the first when Gwen Mikkelsen singled home Madysn Grotewold to make it a 1-0 game. The Jimmies’ Santina Zito lined a double to left to score Katie Merchant and tie the game up at one in the second inning. The game wasn’t tied for long as the Red Raiders’ Bri Giordano hit a double to score Jen Boeve and make it 2-1. Giordano would come home later in the inning when an errant throw allowed Mikkelsen to steal second and her to come home to stretch the lead out to 3-1.

The Red Raiders put the game away in the sixth when Jordyn Kramer lined a two run shot over the fence in left-center field to extend her team’s lead out to 5-1. The Red Raiders added an insurance run in the top of the seventh when Boeve lined a double into the gap to score Charli Bomgaars to push the lead out to 6-1.

Heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Jimmies were down 9-5, but the team fought their way to a 9-9 tie with the Red Raiders in the second game of the double header. Before the eighth inning was set to begin the coaches from both teams, and the umpires came together and decided the field conditions were not playable due to heavy rain and to call the game a tie. The tie keeps the Jimmies playoff hopes alive heading into the last two games against Hastings College.

Boeve led off the second game reaching on an error by the Jimmies shortstop Gentrey Turin. Later in the inning, Boeve would score when Mikkelsen grounded out to the third baseman Katie Reisdorfer to make it 1-0.

The Red Raiders (36-9-1, 15-6-1) doubled their lead in the second when Emily Strasser hit a double all the way to the wall in left-center scoring Erika McKenney to make it 2-0.

The second batter of the top of the third inning was Giordano who lined a solo shot down the left field line to push the Red Raiders lead out to 3-0. Later in the inning, Chloe Gallegos crushed a ball over the left field fence to score McKenney and Delaney Iseminger to push the lead out to 6-0.

The Jimmies (21-22-1, 8-11-1) cut into the lead as Zito grounded out to first baseman Boeve who stepped on the base and threw home but it wasn’t in time to get LaLa Romero who made it 6-1. The next batter was Gracie Fisher who popped one up to the left fielder, Bomgaars, who couldn’t make the catch allowing Megan Neiles and Turin to score and cut the deficit to 6-3.

In the bottom of the fourth, Reisdorfer crushed a ball over the left field fence to cut the deficit to 6-4. Neiles continued the Jimmies rally effort in the bottom of the fifth when she hit a solo shot to cut the deficit to 6-5.

The Jimmies had a chance to get something going in the sixth when Lauryn Diemert led off with a double but she got tagged out trying to stretch it into a triple.

The Red Raiders responded by stretching their lead out in the top of the seventh, as Strasser hit an RBI single before a wild pitch and another single put the Raiders up 9-5.

The Jimmies would not go down without a fight though as the second hitter of the seventh was Fisher who hit a double. The next hitter was Merchant who lined a double into the gap to score the pinch runner Skylar Thorpe and cut the deficit to 9-6. As the Jimmies were down to their last out, Diemert hit a ground ball off the shortstop Grotewold that trickled away and allowed Cota and Merchant to score and cut the Raiders lead to 9-8. Two batters later came Turin who lined a payoff pitch into center field allowing Diemert to score and tie the game up at nine.

The Jimmies are scheduled to finish the regular season at 1 p.m. on Monday, May 2, when they face Hastings College.

NWC 7, UJ 1

NWC: 1 0 2 0 0 2 2–7 10 1

UJ: 0 1 0 0 0 0 0–1 5 2

Scoring plays:

First inning:

NWC: Gwen Mikkelsen RBI single, Madysn Grotewold scores, unearned

Second inning:

UJ: Santina Zito RBI double, Katie Merchant scores

Third inning:

NWC: Bri Giordano RBI double, Jennifer Boeve scores

NWC: Mikkelsen steals second, Giordano scores on the throw, unearned

Sixth inning:

NWC: Jordyn Kramer 2 run HR, Mikkelsen scores

Seventh inning:

NWC: Boeve RBI double, Charli Bongaars scores

NWC: Giordano RBI double, Boeve scores

WP: Kameryn Etherington (19-4), LP: Kat Miska (11-8)

NWC 9, UJ 9

NWC: 1 1 4 0 0 0 3–9 11 1

UJ: 0 0 3 1 0 0 4–9 16 3

Scoring plays:

First inning:

NWC: Mikkelsen grounds out to Katie Reisdorfer, Boeve scores, unearned

Second inning:

NWC: Emily Strasser RBI double, Erika McKenney scores

Third inning:

NWC: Giordano solo HR

NWC: Chloe Gallegos 3 run HR, McKenney, Delaney Iseminger score

UJ: Zito grounds out to Boeve, Romero scores

UJ: Gracie Fisher 2 RBI double, Megan Neiles, Gentry Turin score

Fourth inning:

UJ: Reisdorfer solo HR

Fifth inning:

UJ: Neiles solo HR

Seventh inning:

NWC: Strasser RBI single, Brooke Zylstra scores

NWC: Gallegos scores on a wild pitch

NWC: Grotewold RBI single, Strasser scores

UJ: Katie Merchant RBI double, Thorpe scores

UJ: Lauryn Diemert single, Cota, Merchant score, unearned

UJ: Turin single, Diemert scores, unearned