Photo by Katie Buntsma
The Red Raider softball team split games with Mount Marty on Tuesday night in Yankton, S.D.
The Lancers took the first game, 6-1. Northwestern had nine hits, led by sophomore Kami Kuhlmann with three.
Kuhlmann pitched five innings, giving up seven hits and three earned runs, to take the loss.
NW fared better in the second game, finishing the night with a 16-14 victory. The Raiders outhit Mount Marty 16-51. Junior Rachel Harris led the offense, going four-for-five, scoring two runs and batting in two runs. Senior Sara Curry belted a two-run homer in the seventh, the first homerun of her career. She went three-for-six in the game with a career-high of six RBIs. Freshman Heidi Esdohr was two-for-four with three RBIs and two runs scored.
Kuhlmann again started for the Raiders on the mound before junior Jessica Hooper pitched 5.2 innings in relief to earn the first victory of her college career. Hooper gave up 12 hits and ten runs, only five of which were earned, while striking out nine.
NW then took on Waldorf College in a doubleheader on Wednesday night, claiming two close victories, 8-7 and 13-12. The Raiders improved their record to 4-14 (1-3 in the GPAC), while Waldorf dropped to 5-11.
Kuhlmann pitched the first game for the Raiders, going all seven innings striking out one batter and allowing seven runs off 12 hits. She also led the Raiders in hitting going four-for-four with one RBI. Harris also was perfect in hitting on the day, going three-for-three and scoring two runs herself.
In the second game, Hooper took the mound, going 5.2 innings and striking out five. She allowed nine runs off ten hits before Kuhlmann came in for relief. Kuhlmann gave up three runs off two hits in her 1.1 inning of work.
Leading in hitting for the game was Curry, going three-for-four with three RBIs and scoring twice herself. Sophomore Glory Benson went four-for-four in the game with a homerun and two RBIs.
The Raiders are set to take on Dakota Wesleyan on Wednesday in Mitchell, S.D.
