8 Sports

No.1

doaneline.com

Cassidy Stefka/The Owl

Softball players storm the field after they finished the sweep of Hastings College on Tuesday afternoon to take home their first GPAC crown in the programs 43 year history.

Softball wins first conference title

ALEX DAWSON
Staff Writer
The Doane Softball team
clinched the GPAC title for
the first time in school history Tuesday night in a walkoff victory. The Tigers clawed
back from a three run deficit
in the seventh inning to beat
Hastings College 5-4 on Senior Night.
The Tigers went on to
sweep Hastings with a 4-3
win in the second game of the
double header. Their current
record of 31-7 on the season
and 17-1 in the Great Plains
Athletic Conference (GPAC)
is the best in the 43-year history of Doane Softball. The
Tigers are now undefeated
through their last 12 games
and have an automatic bid to
the opening round of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)
National Tournament (location TBA).
The Tigers managed to tie
the first game 4-4 in the seventh after a single by senior
Kelsey Huenink, a walk from
freshman Brittney Amezquita, and two follow up singles
by freshmen Kendall Kramer
and Nicole Fernandez. Fernandez stole second before
senior Whitney Hinn laid
down the game-winning
bunt that scored her.
Hinn said she was only
trying to move Fernandez to
third to give the next batter a
chance at scoring her.
I was just thinking Ive
gotta move her, Ive gotta
get contact on the ball, she
said.
By the time Hinn realized

her bunt had scored Fernandez the team had cleared

the dugout and rushed both
players in celebration. The
football team, who had left
lifting practice to provide
support over the final inning,
also rushed the field.
Everyone rushed me and
(Hinn), Fernandez said,
The football team rushed
the field, there was so much
energy.
Fernandez leads the GPAC
with a .463 batting average
going 63 for 136 on the season. As a team the Tigers
lead the GPAC in batting average (.333) and RBI average
(5.53).
From what Ive heard,
this is the best team weve
had so far, its cool to be a
part of that, especially in my
freshman year, Fernandez
said.
Junior Ellie Doughty
pitched the win for the Tigers
and improved to 19-4 on the
season with a GPAC-leading
1.56 ERA through 148 innings. Doughty is undefeated
in conference play. As a team
the Tigers lead the GPAC in
ERA (2.20) and opponents
batting average (.230).
The first game against
Hastings presented the Tigers with the biggest defensive challenge of the season
so far, Doughty said, noting
the offensive strength of the
Broncos.
Theyre leading in a lot of
hitting stats, she said. Our
two teams are pretty evenly
matched in almost every aspect.
Doughty was excited
about the effect winning the

GPAC would have on how the

Tiger team was perceived by
Doane students.
I really love how the
football team came out, she
said, having other teams
recognize us as a good team
means a lot.
Despite the Tigers ranking No. 13 in the nation for
win percentage (0.816) they
have yet to break the top 25
NAIA rankings. Head Coach
Renae Littrell attributed
this to the fact that GPAC
teams have historically been
knocked out of the national
tournament in early rounds.
The past two seasons the Tigers played non-conference
teams during the preseason
for the first time. This years
team finished 14-6 before
conference play began.
A disappointing season
last year made the team hungrier to succeed this season,
Littrell said. Last year we
had the kids to (win conference) but we talked about it
too early, she said. We have
a lot of the same kids and a
sprinkle of some new ones.
We came back really hungry
and are doing what we know
we can do, she said.
Littrell wanted the team
to keep the same mental
approach in the remaining
games of the season, Working all year game to game, inning to inning, pitch to pitch,
were not gonna change that
mentality, she said.
The Tigers play a doubleheader with Morningside
April 23 in Sioux City before
hosting the GPAC tournament beginning April 29 in
Crete.

Cassidy Stefka/The Owl

Senior Kelsey Huenink celebrates with senior Whitney Hinn after she lays a walkoff bunt to
score the final run that sealed the GPAC championship for the Tigers.