From Jamestown Athletics
ORANGE CITY, Iowa– The University of Jamestown softball team had Saturday’s doubleheader moved from Trapper Field to Orange City due to the weather forecast in the Jamestown area. The Jimmies lost 7-1 in the opener but rallied for four runs in the bottom of the seventh as game two ended in a 9-9 tie due to deteriorating field conditions.
Jamestown (21-22-1 overall, 8-11-1 GPAC) remains in the hunt for a spot in the conference postseason tournament.
The Jimmies host Hastings (Neb.) Monday at Trapper Field, and a sweep of the Broncos would put the Jimmies in the tournament. However, the Jimmies could possibly know Sunday if they are in, depending on the outcomes of the Briar Cliff (Iowa) at Mount Marty (S.D.) and Doane (Neb.) at College of Saint Mary (Neb.) doubleheaders on Sunday.
NWC scored six unanswered runs in Saturday’s 7-1 victory, allowing the Jimmies just a single second-inning run. With two outs, Katie Merchant (JR/South Haven, Minn.) singled to right, and Santina Zito (JR/Boise, Idaho) doubled to left to score Merchant and tie the game. Two runs by the Raiders in the third, sixth, and seventh put the game out of reach.
Zito was 2-for-3 while LaLa Romero (FR/Surprise, Ariz.) and Gentrey Turin (SO/Sandy, Ore.) also had hits.
Jamestown trailed 6-0 heading into the bottom of the third in game two, but cut the lead in half with a three-run inning. Santina Zito grounded out to first, which allowed LaLa Romero to score, then with Megan Neiles (SO/Winnipeg, MB) and second and Gentrey Turin at third, Gracie Fisher (SO/Bemidji, Minn.) doubled to make it 6-3.
Katie Reisdorfer (SR/Fresno, Calif.) homered to lead off the bottom of the fourth and Neiles did the same to start the fifth as the Jimmies got within a run at 6-5.
In the seventh, NWC scored three times to push their lead to 9-5. UJ rallied for four runs in the bottom of the seventh as Katie Merchant doubled home Skylar Thorpe (FR/Petaluma, Calif.), Lauren Diemert (SO/West Fargo, N.D.) singled in Steph Cota (JR/Tucson, Ariz.) and Merchant, and Turin’s single plated Diemert to make it 9-9.
Jamestown ended with 16 hits. Romero and Merchant each had three hits while Turin, Neiles, Fisher, and Diemert all finished with two hits each.