DWU TIGERS DROP BOTH GAMES IN DH WITH NO. 24 DOANE BY SCORES OF 2-0 & 11-1
Crete, Neb. – Dakota Wesleyan baseball was swept by the No. 24 Doane Tigers in their two day, four game series with the Tigers. On the day DWU fell by a score of 2-0 in the first game with Seth Christiansen turning in a strong outing on the mound going 5.1 innings allowing three hits, two earned runs and five strikeouts. In game two the DWU Tigers fell 11-1 with the game getting out of hand late with the staff losing the strike zone and issuing 13 total walks in the game. Dakota Wesleyan drops to 3-12 (0-4 GPAC) while Doane improves to 18-4 (4-0 GPAC).
Quick Stats Game 1:
Hitters-
- Seth Christiansen – 1 for 3
- Drew Kitchens – 1 for 3
Pitchers-
- Seth Christiansen – 5.1 innings, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K, Loss
- Troy Wilhelm – 0.2 inning, 1 H, 0 ER
Recap:
Seth Christiansen got the nod for the Tigers in game three against the No. 24 Doane Tiger bats. Christiansen sat DOA down in order while recording one punchout looking. DWU in the top half of the inning also went down in order. Dakota Wesleyan got the first two batters on with Carter Gullickson drawing a walk and Drew Kitchens single. Both runners were picked off and or caught stealing combo with a strikeout to end any threat. Christiansen tossed another scoreless frame in the bottom half only allowing one baserunner that eventually reached second on a stolen base but stranded him in scoring position with a putout by himself. Remained scoreless after two innings.
DWU continued to put the ball in play in the top of the third clearing not trying to repeat yesterday's game two strikeout rate, but couldn't find any holes in the Doane defense leaving it 0-0. Christiansen ran into early trouble in the bottom of the third with the leadoff batter reaching on an error and walking the next Doane batter. Seth buckled down to retire the next three hitters, with one via the strikeout, to escape the jam and keep it knotted at 0. Dakota Wesleyan bats stayed quiet in the top of the fourth. Christiansen gave up a leadoff single in the bottom half, which was his first hit given up on the day. Christiansen followed with back-to-back punchouts but then loaded the bases with a walk and a close call, fielder's choice play at second base. Seth, again worked out of the jam leaving the bases loaded getting a groundout to second. Christiansen appeared to have his third strikeout of the inning on a check swing during the at bat, but the field umpire said he didn't go around. The score remained scoreless through four.
Wyatt Hunt got on in the top of the fifth with one out with a hit by pitch and was ran for by Mason Mehlhaff. Mehlhaff on a 1-1 count to the ensuing batter Jake Kostenbauer, successfully executed a delay steal, not even drawing a throw from the Doane catcher giving the DWU Tigers a man on second with one out. Dakota Wesleyan failed to bring in the go ahead run keeping it 0-0. DOA started the bottom half of the fifth with a jam shot single to center, drawing a mound visit from assistant coach Ben Johnson. DOA successfully stole second on a ball in the dirt that got away from Hunt resulting in the runner to take a hard turn and make it safely to third base. The right handed Doane batter drove in the go ahead run on a single through the left side even with a heavy shift on from the DWU defense. Christiansen settled down and retired the next three batters to leave it a 1-0 game through five innings.
Doane went to the bullpen to face nine-top in the top of the sixth inning. The quick working Doane righty got the first two DWU batters and had Christiansen in a 0-2 count when Christiansen punched an off-speed pitch on the outside half into right field. The threat ended there though, keeping it a 1-0 Doane advantage. Christiansen appeared out of the dugout to take the mound in the bottom half of the sixth with his pitch count nearing the 100 mark. Christiansen walked the first two batters of the inning and then recorded the first out of the inning on a fielder's choice ground ball to short putting runners on the corners with one out. With his pitch count at 118 pitches that would end Christiansen's day and bring Troy Wilhelm out to relieve him. Christiansen turned in a great day on the mound going 5.1 innings giving up only 3 hits, 1 earned run and 5 strikeouts but responsible for the runners on base. Doane loaded the bases on a hit by pitch and extended their lead to 2-0 with a routine ball in shallow centerfield dropping for a hit in the book due to miscommunication. The DWU Tigers didn't let the mishap effect the rest of the inning recording an inning ending double play on a fly out to Carmichael who fired a strike to third to double off the Doane runner before the run scored leaving it 2-0 heading to the top of the seventh and last chance for Dakota Wesleyan. DWU wouldn't mount a comeback going down in order for a 2-0 final.
Game 2:
Recap:
The DWU Tigers started game two with a different looking lineup to try and shake things up and jump start the offense. Kitchens and Jirau both worked one out walks with Kitchens advancing to third after a flyout to give Dakota Wesleyan runners on the corners with two-outs and needing a clutch hit to take an early lead. Darrow hit a hard-hit ball but right to the second baseman to end the half inning. Jereko Martinez got the start in game two of the day for the DWU Tigers. Martinez surrendered three runs in the first two innings with one coming in the first and two in the second giving the Doane Tigers a 3-0 lead through two frames after the Tigers scoreless top half of the second.
Dakota Wesleyan got on the scoreboard in the top of the third with Kitchens working another walk with two-outs and Wilcoxen coming up with that clutch hit with men on and two-outs that DWU has been looking for and needing all series. The RBI double cut the Doane lead to 3-1 heading to the bottom of the third. DOA got their run back in the bottom half on one hit and one DWU error that resulted in the run making it unearned for Martinez. The half inning was highlighted by Darrow catching a sac fly that scored the run from third, but Darrow then fired a strike to second to double off the Doane runner. The score was 4-1 Doane heading to the fourth.
Doane went to the bullpen in the top half of the fourth bringing out a three-quarter righty to face the 6-7-8 part of the DWU order. Kostenbauer picked up an infield single with two-outs but was stranded there keeping it 4-1. Martinez was relieved by Presten Riddle in the bottom half of the fourth for DWU. Riddle worked a clean inning but didn't get any help from the DWU bats in the top of the fifth leaving it a 4-1 ball game. Riddle cruised through the first two batters of the inning making it five straight he retired, but then hit a snag surrendering back-to-back walks that both scored on back-to-back doubles to end his day and call to Logan Miller out of the pen with a runner on second, two outs in a 7-1 game. Miller recorded a strikeout to end the inning and minimize any more damage with two runners on. Doane plated four runs in the sixth inning on no hits and one DWU error for a 11-1 lead going to the seventh. The DWU Tigers got bases loaded with zero outs in the top half but couldn't plate anyone for a 11-1 final.
Up Next: The Dakota Wesleyan Baseball team next has a two-game series with Mount Marty that is set for Friday, March 24th in Mitchell and against Concordia Sunday, March 26th also in Mitchell. With weather and current field conditions the games will be moved with the location still pending. Follow along the Dakota Wesleyan Athletics social media platforms for schedule updates.
