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HOME OF NORTHWESTERN RED RAIDERS ATHLETICS
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Nike
sb-recap-mountmarty-230425
6
Winner Northwestern NWC 42-4
2
Mount Marty MMU 16-18
Winner
Northwestern NWC
42-4
6
Final
2
Mount Marty MMU
16-18
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Northwestern NWC 2 2 0 2 0 0 0 6 9 1
Mount Marty MMU 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 6 2

W: Etherington, Kameryn (18-4) L: M. Graunke (7-10)

13
Winner Northwestern NWC 43-4
3
Mount Marty MMU 16-19
Winner
Northwestern NWC
43-4
13
Final
3
Mount Marty MMU
16-19
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Northwestern NWC 0 0 2 0 3 4 4 13 14 1
Mount Marty MMU 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 3 5 4

W: Kralik, Kate (17-0) L: M. Gray (7-8)

Game Recap: Softball | | NWC Athletic Communications

Raiders Capture GPAC Regular Season Title in Tuesday Sweep

Mikkelsen has five RBIs; double shy of the cycle in game two

YANKTON, S.D. – The No. 12-ranked Northwestern softball team (43-4, 18-2 GPAC) clinched an outright regular season Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) championship with two wins at Mount Marty (16-19, 9-11 GPAC) on Tuesday night. It marks Northwestern's first regular season title since 2014 and their first outright title since 2012.

As a result, the Raiders have received an automatic berth to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) softball tournament.
 
GAME 1: NWC 6, MMU 2
 
Pitching Decisions
Win: Kameryn Etherington (18-4)
Loss: Makayla Graunke (7-10)
Save: None
 
How It Happened
The Raiders put their foot on the pedal early, scoring four runs in the first two innings and receiving a strong pitching performance from Kameryn Etherington (Jr., Algona, Iowa) to set themselves up for a 6-2 road win.
 
Gwen Mikkelsen (Jr., Casa Grande, Ariz.) took advantage of a one-out walk by Madysn Grotewold (Jr., Larchwood, Iowa), doubling in the first run of the game. With two outs, it was Chloe Gallegos (So., Carroll, Iowa) who drove Mikkelsen home on an RBI single for Northwestern's second score of the inning.
 
Northwestern extended their lead to 4-0 in the second as Jewel Bergstrom (Fr., Boyden, Iowa) came around from first as a pinch runner to score, before Grotewold hit an RBI base hit.
 
In the top of the fourth, Mikkelsen continued her solid game at the plate, lining another double into center with two runners on to make the score 6-0.
 
Mount Marty added two runs in the sixth on a home run and an RBI single, but their offensive output would end there as Northwestern added on to their season win total.
 
Game Notes  
GAME 2: NWC 13, MMU 3
 
Pitching Decisions
Win: Kate Kralik (17-0)
Loss: McKenzie Gray (7-8)
Save: None
 
How It Happened
With the conference standings shaking out on Tuesday evening, Northwestern had a chance to clinch the regular season GPAC title with a win in game two.
 
After a slow first two innings offensively, Gwen Mikkelsen blasted her seventh home run of the season, a two-run shot to open the scoring for Northwestern in the third.
 
Mount Marty answered the bill in the bottom of the fourth, hitting a two-run homer to tie things up. However, that would be all for a while as the Raiders were back in business with a Leah Schaefer (Fr., Marshall, Minn.) RBI double that scored two. Madysn Grotewold then entered at second as the pinch runner and scored on an error to extend the lead to 5-2.
 
The Raiders piled it on in the next two innings, starting with a four-run sixth. The first run came on an error before Jennifer Boeve (Sr., Hastings, Neb.) had her "welcome back" moment, pulling a single to left for the RBI. With two outs and a 7-2 lead, Mikkelsen sparked the offense again, hitting a triple to bring in two more runs.
 
Contributions came from up and down the lineup, with Ellie Jacobson (Jr., Humboldt, Iowa) giving Northwestern its 10th run of the game on a single that brought Chloe Gallegos home. Charli Bomgaars (So., Boyden, Iowa) then recorded her 17th RBI of the year on a base hit before Mikkelsen set a career-high with her fifth RBI of the game, giving the Raiders a 13-3 lead to take into the home half of the seventh.
 
Mount Marty left a runner on first in the seventh, but the Raiders walked away with an automatic bid to the NAIA tournament and a series sweep of the Lancers.
 
Game Notes
  • Gwen Mikkelsen had a career-high five RBIs in the win.
  • She was just a double shy of hitting for the cycle, also hitting a home run and a triple.
  • It was a season-high for any Red Raider.
  • Kate Kralik (So., Indianola, Iowa) tossed a complete game, posting five strikeouts and remaining an undefeated 17-0.
  • Jennifer Boeve recorded her first hit since returning to the lineup yesterday.
  • Chloe Gallegos had a 2-3 day at the plate.
  • Charli Bomgaars had two hits, scoring three times and driving home a run.
 
"Wow. We were us today," said senior infielder Jennifer Boeve. This was a huge team accomplishment and we couldn't be more excited for another three weeks of softball. What a great day to be a Raider."

Up Next: The regular season finale is set for Saturday, April 29 as the Raiders will host the Midland Warriors at 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. in Orange City.
Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athletics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut
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