Jimmies softball stays hot with doubleheader sweep Doane

CRETE, NEB. — The University of Jamestown got timely hitting and that helped them get an 8-5 win in 11 innings over Doane University at the Doane Ball Field.

The first run of the game for both teams was unearned as the Jimmies’ Trinity Gregg scored on a groundout to make it 1-0 after she led the game off by reaching on an error in the top of the first. In the second inning, the Tigers’ Jayden Young scored when teammate Britney Hoffman took off for second and Jimmies catcher Megan Neiles’ throw sailed into center field, to tie the game up at one.

The Tigers took the lead in the third before the Jimmies tied it up at two in the sixth inning.

The score would stay that way until the 11th inning when the Jimmies took the lead for good when Ally Battistoni hit a double to right to score Neiles from second and go up 3-2. The Jimmies added on from there as they pushed the lead out to 6-2 when Abby Blair came up. The Jimmies freshman hurler got a hold of one and deposited it over the wall in center field for her first career homer as the lead went out to 8-2.

“They had a fire,” Jimmies head coach Kevin Gall said. “They didn’t wanna lose that game. It was an excellent game and they decided, now’s the time. I think that Moore got tired, she was missing there in the 10th and the 11th. I don’t know how many she pitches she threw, it had to be 150 some pitches, so, she’s really good. It’s a good win.”

Blair did not only help the Jimmies at the plate as she came in to pitch in the bottom of the eleventh after the Jimmies’ Hailey Schaefer ran out of gas giving up back-to-back doubles to cut the deficit to 8-3. The first batter, Blair faced, Young reached on an error that allowed two runs to score and cut the Jimmies' lead to 8-5 but then she retired three of the next four hitters.

UJ 8, DU 5

UJ: 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 6–8 14 3

DU: 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3–5 10 2

WP: Hailey Schaefer (4-1) LP: Camry Moore (13-8) SV: Abby Blair (1)

Scoring plays:

First inning:

UJ: Mackenzie Lefebvre grounds out, Trinity Gregg scores, unearned

Second inning:

DU: Britney Hoffman steals second, Jayden Young scores on an error

Third inning:

DU: Anna Prauner RBI double, Shelby Robinson scores

Sixth inning:

UJ: Lefebvre RBI single, Gregg scores

11th inning:

UJ: Ally Batistoni RBI double, Megan Neiles scores

UJ: Gregg 2 RBI double, Angie Chin, Battistoni score

UJ: Maddie Spaeth RBI single, Gregg scores

UJ: Abby Blair 2 run HR, Spaeth scores

DU: Robinson RBI double, Jaiden Papik scores

DU: Young reaches on an error, Prauner, Robinson score, unearned

The Jimmies kept the offense going in the second game of the doubleheader as they scored three runs in the first and piled on from there getting a 6-3 win over the Tigers.

Four batters into the top of the first, the Jimmies were already up 3-0 thanks to Lefebvre cranking one over the wall in center. The Jimmies (20-16, 7-7) added on in the second when Gregg scored again unearned to make it 4-0. The Tigers (19-21, 6-12) brought it closer in the third when they made the score 4-1.

The Jimmies pulled away in the seventh when Spaeth hit a double to score Gregg and push the lead out to 5-1. Two batters later, the Jimmies’ Skylar Thorpe hit a double to score Spaeth and stretch the lead out to 6-1. The Jimmies' defense helped the Tigers get back into this game as they led off the seventh with a single from Angelina Esqueda, who was eventually brought home on an error to cut the deficit to 6-2. Later in the inning, the Tigers brought it to within three when Camry Moore scored on a wild pitch.

After finishing off the last two outs of the first game, Blair started the second game for the Jimmies and pitched a complete game, giving up one earned run on seven hits and striking out one. In total in the two games, she pitched 8.0 innings, giving up one earned run on eight hits.

The Jimmies doubleheader sweep extends both teams’ streaks as the Jimmies are now on a five-game winning streak and the Tigers are now on an eight-game losing streak.

The Jimmies return to the diamond at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 22, when they go to Hastings College.

UJ 6, DU 3

UJ; 3 1 0 0 0 0 2–6 10 3

DU: 0 0 1 0 0 0 2–3 7 1

WP: Abby Blair (9-4) LP: Faith Molina (3-8)

Scoring plays:

First inning:

UJ: Lefebvre 3 run HR, Spaeth, Samarah Martinez score

Second inning:

UJ: Spaeth single, Gregg scores, unearned

Third inning:

DU: Moore RBI double, Payton Cooley scores

Seventh inning:

UJ: Spaeth RBI double, Gregg scores

UJ: Skylar Thorpe RBI double, Spaeth scores

DU: Moore reaches on an error, Angelina Esqueda scores, unearned

DU: Moore scores on a wild pitch