Waldorf spoils Senior Day with sweep over Bruins

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

NSAA Standings

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Waldorf University spoiled the Bellevue University softball team's Senior Day with a sweep over the Bruins in North Star Athletic Association action at the Lied Activity Center. The Warriors won by scores of 6-4 (8 innings) and 11-7. 

Bellevue fell to 29-21 on the season and 11-11 in the NSAA with the two losses. Waldorf improved to 10-29 overall and 9-15 in league play. 

The two teams will conclude the four-game series with a noon doubleheader on Sunday at the Lied Activity Center.  

Game 1: Waldorf 6, Bellevue 4 (8 innings)

Waldorf outhit the Bruins, 13-7, and scored three runs in the top of the eighth to pull out the 6-4 win in the opener. Eight different Warriors produced hits and four had multiple hits in the WU win. 

The Warriors took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first, scoring on an RBI single to right field by Kennedy Vinchattl and on a sacrifice fly to left field by Payge Jurgens. WU connected on four hits in the opening frame.  

The Bruins responded in the bottom half of the first on Maddie Siedlik's bases-clearing double to deep left field to give BU a 3-2 lead. 

Waldorf threatened in the top of the fifth, loading the bases with two outs, but BU starter Lexi LeCalsey induced a fly out to center field to keep the score at 3-2. 

After the Warriors produced two-straight singles to open the sixth inning, LeCalsey once again ended the threat with two pop-ups and a groundout. 

WU loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the seventh and tied the contest at 3-3 on Madison Mason's sacrifice fly to left field.

An RBI triple to center field by Vinchattl and a two-run single to left field by Bree Hamblin gave the Warriors a 6-3 lead in the top of the eighth inning. 

After Kaylie Brindley retired 13-straight Bruins, Emily Gigax blasted a two-out solo homer to left field to narrow the lead to 6-4 in the bottom of the eighth. Sayde Woten's double to right field chased Brindley who was replaced by Jessica Whittaker. Whitaker earned her first save of the season after forcing Siedlik to ground out to shortstop Lauren Hein to end the game.

Brindley (10-9) collected the win, allowing seven hits with two walks and five strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings of work. 

LeCalsey (11-8) suffered the loss, scattering 13 hits with three walks and seven strikeouts in eight innings in the circle.  

Game 2: Waldorf 11, Bellevue 7

Although the Bruins outhit WU, 13-11, the Warriors took advantage of six BU fielding errors, three passed balls, and two wild pitches to record the 11-7 win in the nightcap. All nine batters in the BU lineup recorded at least one hit in the loss. 

The Warriors scored five runs on five hits to open the nightcap, highlighted by a sacrifice fly to center field by Vinchattl, an RBI single to left field by Jurgens, and a one-run infield single by Mason.

A groundout RBI by Peyton Arenson extended the WU lead to 6-0 in the top of the second frame. 

The Bruins got on the board in the bottom of the third on Alex Tooley's solo home run to left field to slice the lead to 6-1. 

An RBI single down the left-field line by Arenson gave the Warriors a 7-1 advantage in the top of the fourth inning. 

Woten drove in Kaitlyn Kinman with a double to right-center field to slice the WU lead to 7-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning. 

BU narrowed the margin to 7-5 in the bottom of the fifth, sparked by RBI doubles from Erin Sharpe and Gigax and a sacrifice fly to left field by Kinman. 

The Warriors responded in the top of the sixth, scoring four runs, highlighted by Jurgens' RBI single to left field and a groundout RBI by Taylor Navratil, giving WU an 11-5 lead. 

A two-run double by Randi Henry pulled BU to within four runs at 11-7 in the bottom of the seventh, but that was as close as BU could get as the Warriors completed the sweep.

Sharpe (15-5) was tagged with the loss, scattering 10 hits with no walks and three strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings of work. Only three of Sharpe's 11 runs were earned.