Looking at the result of Saturday’s opening game in the best-of-three GPAC Championship series, one would think the Morningside Mustangs would cruise to the title, having won eight in a row and 22 of 24, including three straight against the University of Jamestown by a combined score of 26-3.
Despite losing 13-0 in five innings in the opener, the Jimmie softball team responded in game two with a 7-5 victory to force a winner-take-all third game. In the finale, Morningside scored twice in the bottom of the fifth and hold on for a 3-1 win.
The Mustangs (30-9) earn the GPAC’s second automatic qualifying bid to the NAIA National Championship, while the Jimmies most likely have their season end with a record of 30-21.
Game 1: Mustangs 13, Jimmies 0 (5 innings)
Morningside sent 13 batters to the plate in bottom of the second, scoring nine times on five hits, a pair of UJ errors, and a wild pitch. The nine-run outburst put Jamestown in an early hole that was too much to overcome as the Mustangs won 13-0 in five innings.
Hallie Misiaszek and Alex Nelson combined on a one-hit shutout, facing just two batters over the minimum. Mikayla Frost (JR/Melba, ID)’s two-out single in the top of the third and an error allowing Morgan Geiszler (SO/Horace, ND) to reach in the top of the second accounted for the only Jamestown baserunners.
Katie Merchant (FR/South Haven, Minn.) was roughed up for seven runs on four hits in just an inning and a third. Three of the runs allowed by Merchant were unearned.
Morningside made it 10-0 with a single run in the third, then added three more in the fourth before Nelson retired the Jimmies in order in the top of the fifth.
Game 2: Jimmies 7, Mustangs 5
The Jimmies found themselves down 4-0 and 5-2, then rallied for five runs in the top of the seventh in a 7-5 win that evened the series at a game apiece.
Morgan Geiszler and Katie Reisdorfer (SO/Fresno, CA) had run-scoring singles in the fourth to cut Morningside’s lead to 4-2. The Mustangs got one of the runs back in the fifth, making the score 5-2.
Miriah Yoder (SR/Devils Lake, ND) struck out swinging to begin the seventh, but reached first on the dropped strike. Mariah Martinez (FR/Visalia, Calif.) and Mariah Wick (SO/Jamestown, N.D.) both singled to load the bases, then Mikayla Frost was hit by a pitch to force in a run. Allie McCain (SR/Duvall, WA) singled to left, scoring Martinez and keeping the bases loaded. A fielder’s choice off the bat of Meghan Ramage (SR/Grand Forks, ND) brought in Wick, tying the game at five while leaving runners at first and second with one out. A passed ball moved the runners up one base each. After a strikeout for the second out of the inning, Geiszler singled to right, scoring McCain and Ramage to give the Jimmies a 7-5 lead.
The Mustangs had their first batter in the bottom of the seventh reach on a single, but Merchant retired the next three hitters in order.
Reisdorfer was 3-for-4 and Geiszler finished 2-for-4 as part of the UJ 10-hit attack.
Game 3: Mustangs 3, Jimmies 1
Two runs in the bottom of the fifth ended up being the difference as Morningside took the finale by a score of 3-1.
Morningside led 1-0 until the top of the fifth, when Sydney Prussia (SO/Detroit Lakes, MN) singled home Mikayla Frost to make it 1-1. Jamestown loaded the bases on a walk and back-to-back errors, then had the lead runner at third forced out on a fielder’s choice.
In the bottom half, the Mustangs’ first batter tripled to left, then the next batter doubled to make it 2-1. A sacrifice fly accounted for the second run of the frame and a 3-1 lead.
Frost and Geiszler each rapped a double, while Ramage and Reisdorfer also had hits.
Merchant went all six innings in the circle, allowing seven hits and three runs. She walked two and struck out two.