Hastings, Neb. – Dakota Wesleyan earned the split on day two of their four-game series against the Hastings Broncos, which gave them an overall split in the series. DWU blew out the Broncos in game one with their 12-0 victory. The Tigers got big performance from Seth Christiansen on the mound and at the plate. Christiansen on the bump went complete while racking up eight punchouts. In game two the Tiges clawed within one after seven innings but a four run eighth by the Broncos put the game away for a 7-2 final. Caleb Meyers had another great day at the plate going 4 for 8 with two doubles, triple, two runs batted in and two runs scored. Drew Kitchens led the way though offensively on the day with his 4 for 9, three RBI and runs scored day.
Facing slightly better but still not great playing conditions the Tigers looked to take three of four against the Hastings Broncos. In game one the Tigers looked to Seth Christiansen on the bump to deliver. Christiansen in the first inning gave up a leadoff double but as he has done all year with runners in scoring position was able to strand the runners there and escape the inning with no damage done. Meanwhile the Tiger bats were more than ready to roll today plating one in the first and four in the second for a 5-0 lead. Caleb Meyers continues his red-hot tare at the plate with two doubles in each frame to lead the DWU bats. Drew Kitchens also recorded two hits in the inning and drove in two runs.
The score remained 5-0 with a scoreless third after Christiansen sat the Broncos down in order. Dakota Wesleyan blew the game wide open with their six runs in the fourth. They did it with six hits and three walks in the half frame. Half of the runs came with two-outs which has been an area head coach Charlie Dubanoski has stressed that needs to improve. Christiansen again tossed a scoreless frame for his second straight 1-2-3 inning. In the fifth DWU pushed their lead to 12 when Carter Brown drove in Michael Zeman with an RBI single to left. In the bottom half Christiansen was able to keep the shutout alive despite two errors made behind him, resulting in a 12-0 DWU advantage through five frames. That would end up being the final with Christiansen continuing his dominance on the mount, finishing the game with eight punchouts and only allowing three batters to reach (not including errors) from the second inning on.
In game two Brady Christoffels got the start for the Tigers. The Broncos were able to get to him early, plating one run in the first and two in the second. Christoffels settled in after that posting zero's from the third to the sixth inning. Dakota Wesleyan offensively cooled off in game two failing to record a run through the first seven innings. They threatened at times but the strikeout proved to be killer for the Tigers, who had 10 total strikeouts in the first seven frames, resulting in seven runners being left on.
In the bottom of the seventh the Broncos got a leadoff triple, but Christoffels stranded the runner there getting a pop out, groundout, and fly out. In the eighth the Tigers cut the Hastings lead to just one with two runs in the half frame. It was Meyers again coming up with the big hit with his RBI triple and later scoring on a wild pitch. Hastings wasted no time making up those runs and then some with their four in the eighth, giving them a 7-2 lead heading to the ninth. That lead held with DWU going 1-2-3 in the top half for a 7-2 final.
Quick Stats Game 1:
Hitters-
- Drew Kitchens – 2 for 4, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB
- Caleb Meyers – 3 for 4, 2 2B, RBI, R
- Lane Darrow – 2 for 3, 2 R, RBI, SB
Pitchers-
- Seth Christiansen – 7.0 innings, 2 H, 2 BB, 0 ER, 8 K, CG/SO WIN (2-3)
Up Next: The Dakota Wesleyan Baseball team finishes their six-game road trip with two games against the Dordt Defenders Tuesday, April 9 at 4 & 6:30 p.m.