FREMONT, Neb. – (RV) Midland University softball extended its win streak to seven-straight behind a pair of Great Plains Athletic Conference wins over Hastings College on Wednesday afternoon. The Warriors took game one by a score of 11-2 in five innings and prevailed in game two with a 7-6 extra-inning affair.
Midland improves to 19-6 on the year with a 7-1 record in GPAC play—good for second in the league. Hastings drops to 10-19 overall and 2-6 in conference action.
Game One: Midland 11, Hastings 2 (5 innings)
The Warriors struck first, going up 1-0 after an inning of play thanks to a home run from Katlin Anders. Hastings bounced back in the following frame, sending a two-run shot over the fence in left-center to go up 2-1. Midlands offense was held in check until the fifth inning when the homerun derby commenced.
Diana Nisbett got the surge started with a two-out single to right-center. Brianna Brabec stepped into the box and sent the first strike she saw over the fence in left field to give Midland a 3-2 advantage. Emily Prai followed with an infield single and was brought home on a two-run long ball from Andrea Cespedes—putting Midland ahead 5-2. The Warriors were able to load the bases later in the frame, setting up Hailee Fliam for an opportunity to crack the game wide open. The junior lived up to the billing, blasting the first pitch she saw over the left-field fence for a grand slam.
A grand slam can be a tough act to follow, but not for Nisbett who tallied her second hit of the inning, this time a solo homer to center field. After four home runs in the inning, Midland took an 11-2 lead into the bottom of the fifth. Fliam took to the circle to attempt to close out the game in run-rule fashion. The Broncos were able to pick up a pair of singles, but a popup back to Fliam secured the win for the Warriors.
Statistical Leaders:
- Hailee Fliam: 2-of-3, 4 RBI, 1 HR, 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 9 K
- Diana Nisbett: 2-of-3, 1 RBI, 2 runs, 1 HR
- Brianna Brabec: 1-of-3, 2 RBI, 1 HR, 1 run
- Andrea Cespedes: 1-of-3, 2 RBI, 1 HR, 1 run
- Katlin Anders: 2-of-3, 1 RBI, 1 HR, 2 runs
Game Two: Midland 7, Hastings 6 (8 innings)
Game two favored Midland early as the Warriors got up 2-0 with an RBI single from Bobbi Singleton and a fielders choice to score Carly Pfitzer from third. Hastings struck back in the bottom of the third inning, putting up six runs on five hits and a fielding error. The 6-2 advantage stood until the seventh inning when the Warriors rallied to tie things up.
The seventh-inning outburst kicked off with a sac fly from Bobbi Singleton to score Cespedes from third. The inning was extended when Pfitzer battled for a walk, bringing up Ali Smith who sent a double to right-center to score two. Down 6-5 with one out to work with, Keira Painter placed a single in shallow right field to score Smith. Midland managed to put up four runs in the frame, tying the score at 6-6 with the Broncos stepping up to the plate. Hastings led off the bottom of the seventh with a single, but Aliyah Rincon forced three straight outs to send the game into extra innings.
Prai led off the eighth inning with a single to left-center and was moved into scoring position after a well-executed sac bunt by Cespedes. Prai was then advanced to third off a fly-out by Anders. Singleton continued her tear at the plate, sending a single down the left-field line to bring Prai home for a 7-6 lead. Rincon forced a pair of groundouts and a flyout in the bottom of the eighth to bring home the extra-inning win.
Statistical Leaders:
- Bobbi Singleton: 2-of-5, 3 RBI
- Ali Smith: 2-of-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 1 run
- Emily Prai: 3-of-5, 2 runs
- Aliyah Rincon: 8.0 IP, 3 ER, 9 K
Up Next
Midland (19-6, 7-1 GPAC) continues its trek on the road as the team heads to (RV) Concordia University (18-5, 4-3 GPAC) for a Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) battle on Saturday, April 10 at 1:00 p.m.
