JAMESTOWN, N.D. – The Jimmie softball team moved one step closer to an outright conference championship Friday afternoon, sweeping Dickinson State (N.D.) University 6-1 and 8-6 at Trapper Lawrence Field.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORES: Jamestown 6-8, Dickinson State 1-6
LOCATION: Trapper Lawrence Field / Jamestown, N.D.
RECORDS: Jamestown 31-14 overall, 15-3 NSAA; Dickinson State 27-13 overall, 13-5 NSAA
GAME ONE
- Dickinson State led 1-0 in the first after an RBI single by Celina Wilharm.
- Jamestown answered with a pair of runs in their half of the first, the tying run coming on Maddie Spaeth's single, and the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Kayla Quintanilla.
- Natalie Draper delivered a clutch two-out RBI single in the bottom of the third to give UJ a 3-1 lead.
- UJ put the game away with three more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Tori Olson tripled to score Sonya Rodgers, then came home on a single by Sydney Grendler. Rylee Welk scored the final Jimmie run on a wild pitch.
- Hope Ransome (10-6) went the distance in the circle, striking out seven and giving up an unearned run on five hits.
- Draper and Lauren Weigel each had two hits.
GAME TWO
- Dickinson State took leads of 3-0 and 5-1 in game two before the Jimmies scored seven of the game's last eight runs to come away with the victory.
- Down 3-0 in the bottom of the second, UJ got an RBI single from Sidnie Aasen to cut the deficit to 3-1.
- The Blue Hawks answered with a pair of runs in the top of the third, chasing Jamestown starter Abby Blair just two batters into the inning.
- Hope Ransome's single and a bases loaded walk to Sydney Grendler in the bottom of the third made it a 5-3 game, then the Jimmies would tie the game one inning later.
- Lauren Weigel doubled in Trinity Gregg and later came home on Natalie Draper's single.
- In the fifth inning, Weigel's sacrifice fly gave UJ its first lead of the game, then an error by the Blue Hawks later in the inning allowed Gregg to score for a 7-5 lead.
- DSU got within 7-6 in the top of the sixth, but Kate Geiszler doubled in Hope Ransome with an insurance run going into the final inning.
- Maddie Hairgrove (10-1) came on in relief in the third inning and pitched 3 2/3 innings to get the win. She struck out three and gave up one run on four hits.
- Ransome got the final four outs to record her fifth save.
- Jamestown finished with 13 hits, led by Ransome, who was 3-for-4.
- Weigel (2-for-3), Draper (2-for-4), Geiszler (2-for-4), and Aasen (2-for-3) also had multi-hit games.
UP NEXT
- Jamestown travels to Dickinson on Sunday for the season finale at Sanford Sports Complex beginning at 3 p.m. Central. UJ needs one win to clinch the regular-season conference championship and the top seed for the postseason conference tournament May 1-5 in Dickinson.