
#4 Red Raiders Take Two From Broncos
(Hastings, NE) – The Hastings College Broncos took on the #4 Northwestern Red Raiders in a couple of competitive matchups.
Game one started off evenly in the first inning, with both teams recording hits but no runs. However, the Red Raiders surged ahead in the second inning, scoring four runs to take a 4-0 lead.
The Broncos did manage to get a hit in the bottom of the third inning, but no runs were scored. Northwestern scored another run in the top of the seventh inning, making the final score 5-0.
Northwestern picked up where they left off to start game two with two of the first three runners reaching safely before they got on the board with a Bronco fielding error to go up 1-0. They took a 2-0 lead in the second on an unearned run on a single.
Hastings got their first runs of the day in the bottom of the third. Senior Shey Storesund put down a perfect bunt to reach first and senior Nicole Halsey bunted her over to second. Senior Isabel Tanabe drilled a line drive single past the second baseman to make it 2-1.
Tanabe then stole second and senior Lauren Schneider put runners on the corners with an infield single. After a Schneider stolen base, sophomore Kaylee Pinneo's RBI groundout scored Tanabe to tie the game at two apiece going to the fourth.
Hastings took a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning by leading off with a ground-rule double by junior Ana Medeiros that was misplayed by the Red Raiders and senior Lexie Mudloff followed that up with another ground-rule double to bring home Medeiros.
Neither team got much offense the next couple innings to set up Hastings with a 3-2 lead going to the top of the seventh. The Red Raiders got a one-out single and the next batter walked, but senior Angelina Lockhart got a big strikeout to get the second out.
The Red Raiders grounded one through the left side to Schneider in left field and her throw home to Lee was on-target, but the Northwestern base-runner got their hand to home plate prior to the tag, then added more on a two-run RBI single to take a 5-3 lead.
Tanabe slashed a one-out single to right field and took second on a passed ball, but Northwestern got back-to-back strikeouts to clinch the series sweep with the 5-3 defeat.
Coming up next, the Broncos will play at Peru State on Tuesday, Mar. 18 in Peru, NE for a double-header beginning at 1pm.