Game 1
Game 2
Doane
MITCHELL, S.D. – In need of league wins, the Dakota Wesleyan University baseball team headed to Doane College for a makeup Great Plains Athletic Conference doubleheader Monday in Crete, Neb.
Doane came into play as one of only two GPAC school receiving votes in the latest NAIA Coaches poll. DWU was not intimidated, taking both games on the road to get right back in the race for a spot in the conference tournament.
DWU got a strong performance from senior Joey Fitzgerald (Fairmont, Minn.) in game one in a 4-2 win. Fitzgerald tossed all seven innings allowing two runs on two hits and struck out four.
At the plate, DWU got production up and down the lineup, with four players finishing with multiple hits in game one. Senior Tyler Johnson (Elizabeth, Colo.), junior Cole Wenande (Alexandria, S.D.), junior Neil Nagle (Oslo, Minn.) and sophomore Tyler Waddle (Huron, S.D.) each came away with two hits, while combining for three RBIs.
DWU got out to an early lead with two runs in the first inning, with Nagle and Wenande coming through with RBI singles. After Doane scored one in the second, DWU reclaimed a two-run lead when junior Dominic Sebastiani (San Francsico, Calif.) singled home a run in the third. An RBI single from Waddle in the fourth extended DWU's lead to 4-1.
Fitzgerald allowed a home run in the seventh, but closed the door to give DWU the win, snapping a four-game losing streak. Fitzgerald is now 5-2 on the season.
In game two, DWU continued its hot hitting, with Nagle and Wenande each coming away with three hits, while Johnson, Waddle and senior Ben Ladner (Delray Beach, Fla.) each knocked in two runs in an 11-8 win.
Down 6-5 entering the top of the ninth, DWU did more than stay alive in its last at bat. The visitors scored six times in the ninth to create some breathing room. The scoring started with Ladner hitting a double down the line for two RBIs, while Waddle followed with a two-RBI double of his own to give DWU a three-run lead. An RBI double from sophomore Jared Neilan (Pierre, S.D.) and an unearned run gave DWU an 11-6 lead.
Sophomore Will Lutjen (Miller Place, N.Y.) came in to close the game on the mound in the ninth. Doane did scratch across two runs, but DWU held on for the sweep. DWU has won five of its last six games in conference play.
With the wins, DWU improves to 16-22 overall and 6-8 in the GPAC with less than a week left in the regular season. DWU has another makeup doubleheader against Hastings College at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday in Hastings, Neb.