Northwestern College dropped a doubleheader to Hastings this afternoon (9-8, 14-0) in the final games of the regular season. The Red Raiders finish 10-10 in conference play and head into the postseason with a 23-22 overall record.
Down 7-4 heading into the bottom of the fifth, Northwestern scored two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to take an 8-7 lead.
Jessica Sandbulte hit an RBI single and Madison Beaver added a sacrifice fly in the two-run fifth. Jessica Rayela led off the sixth with a walk, advanced to second on a passed ball and went to third following a sacrifice bunt by Jaclyn Smith. Pinch hitter Samantha Wielenga then converted a successful squeeze bunt, scoring Rayela, and Wielenga went all the way to third on a throwing error by Hastings' catcher Jessica Peterson. Wielenga later scored off a wild pitch.
With Northwestern just three outs away from the win, Hastings rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh. Taylor Asche led off with a game-tying home run followed by a walk to Ashlynn Clifford who eventually scored the game-winner after a Northwestern error.
The Red Raiders put the tying run at third and go-ahead run at second in the bottom of the seventh but were unable to convert the scoring opportunity.
Kayla Tindall (14-10) took the loss, giving up nine hits and eight earned run in the full seven innings. The junior walked five and struck out seven.
Beaver and Sandbulte led the Red Raider offense with two hits each with Beaver driving in two. Bri Petrauskas went 1-for-3 with two runs scored.
Clifford (3-2) picked up the win in relief, giving up two runs in the final 2.2 innings. Josie Bumgardner pitched the first 4.1 innings, giving up all five hits and six runs while walking six.
Hastings hit three home runs in game one, led by Bumgardner with a grand slam in the six-run fifth inning. Asche and Kaitlyn Knott also had home runs and Chloe Boeka went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Sarah Barger (12-4) pitched a complete-game, six-hit shutout in leading Hastings to a 14-0 win in game two. Barger struck out one in the five-inning game.
Morgan Means dropped to 9-12 on the season, giving up 14 hits and 13 runs in three innings. Tindall pitched two scoreless innings in relief.
Beaver had two of the Red Raiders' six hits, both singles, and Smith, Mons Figueroa, Cheyenne Wilcke and Jensen Boger all had one hit each.
Cara Williams and Makana Kekaulike paced the Broncos with three hits each and Corrin Ziepke went 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBIs.
The GPAC office will release the eight-team, postseason tournament bracket later tonight.
