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Northwestern College Athletics

Northwestern College
HOME OF NORTHWESTERN RED RAIDERS ATHLETICS
HONORING CHRIST THROUGH EXCELLENCE IN ATHLETICS
Nike
sb-recap-mmu-230504
1
Mount Marty MMU 19-22, 0 GPAC
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Winner Northwestern NWC 46-6, 0 GPAC
Mount Marty MMU
19-22, 0 GPAC
1
Final
8
Northwestern NWC
46-6, 0 GPAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Mount Marty MMU 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 1
Northwestern NWC 0 0 0 3 3 2 X 8 9 1

W: Etherington, Kameryn (20-5) L: M. Graunke (8-11) S: Kralik, Kate (6)

Game Recap: Softball | | NWC Athletic Communications

Softball Hits Single-Season Wins Record, Moves on to GPAC Championship Series

Boeve, Gallegos with two RBIs each

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Northwestern (46-6, 18-4 GPAC) only needed one game to advance to the championship series on Thursday, defeating Mount Marty (19-22, 10-12 GPAC) in Thursday's Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) tournament matchup.
 
FINAL: NWC 8, MMU 1
 
Pitching Decisions
Win: Kameryn Etherington (20-5)
Loss: Makayla Graunke (8-11)
Save: Kate Kralik (6)
 
How It Happened
The Raiders captured their record-setting 46th win of the season in the semifinal round of the GPAC tournament on Saturday, overcoming a 1-0 deficit to take an 8-1 win in front of an energetic home crowd.
 
Mount Marty scored first, carrying momentum over from a 12-inning win in the previous game, as Elisabeth McGill hit a solo home run to center field to give the Lancers a 1-0 lead.
 
Although Northwestern did not get on the board until the fourth inning, they jumpstarted the offense with multiple runs in each inning for the rest of the game. Chloe Gallegos (So., Carroll, Iowa) put the first Red Raider runs on the board, giving Northwestern the lead with a 2-RBI single that brought home Jewel Bergstrom (Fr., Boyden, Iowa) and Emily Strasser (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D.). With Gallegos on third following a throwing error, Maddie Kvatek (Jr., Stevens Point, Wis.) employed a squeeze bunt with the runner charging home, legging out a bunt single for the third run of the inning.
 
The Raiders never looked back, adding to their 3-1 lead with another three-run frame in the fifth. Gwen Mikkelsen (Jr., Casa Grande, Ariz.) hit a leadoff double and Madysn Grotewold (Jr., Larchwood, Iowa) followed with a perfectly placed bunt to put runners at the corners. Grotewold then stole a base, setting up Jennifer Boeve (Sr., Hastings, Neb.) with an RBI opportunity, which she capitalized on, driving in a run.
 
In the next at-bat, Grotewold scored on a fielder's choice, followed up by a home run deep to left for Kameryn Etherington (Jr., Algona, Iowa). Etherington's solo shot marked her team-leading eighth of the season, as the junior two-way player has now homered in four-straight games.
 
Now holding a 6-1 lead, Northwestern added more insurance runs in the sixth. Kvatek drew a leadoff walk and later came around to score, while Boeve hit another RBI single, capitalizing on her two-hit day.
 
Kate Kralik (So., Indianola, Iowa) shut down the side in the seventh, earning her sixth save on the year and helping Northwestern to their first GPAC championship series appearance since 2018.
   
Game Notes
  • Northwestern reached a program-record 46 wins for the 2023 season. Their previous mark was 45, set in 2002.
  • The Raider pitching staff now sits at 310 strikeouts this season, tied for the single-season program record.
  • Jennifer Boeve went 2-3 with two RBIs and a walk.
  • Chloe Gallegos had a two-RBI day, as she now has a total of 35 this season.
  • Kameryn Etherington went four innings in the circle, earning her 20th win and striking out two batters along the way.
  • Etherington also homered for the fourth-consecutive game, reaching eight this year.
 
"I'm so proud of our seniors, Madysn Grotewold, Emily Strasser, and Jennifer Boeve," said head coach Shane Bouman. "They have instilled a work ethic and winning culture. So proud of these powerful women."
 
Up Next: The Raiders will face off with Midland (34-12, 16-6 GPAC) in a best 2-of-3 championship series on Saturday, May 6 in Orange City. Game 1 will begin at 11:00 a.m., with Game 2 at 1:00 p.m. and an if necessary Game 3 at 5:00 p.m.
Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athletics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut
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