Dakota State defeated Presentation 4-1 and 8-2 in a doubleheader at Swisher Field that marked the completion of the season for the Saints. Dakota State improved to 16-14 and Presentation finished up with a 7-27 mark.
Dakota State pitcher Sami Dean dominated the first game as she struck out 13 batters and held the Saints to just three hits. PC softball coach Erin Dickhausen said that Dean's changeup was tough on PC batters.
Presentation jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning of the second game. Kelli Boekelheide smacked a two RBI single in the inning. Dakota State scored single runs in the third and fourth innings before breaking the game open with five runs in the sixth inning. Jacque Trost had two singles for the Saints.
"We saw a lot of improvement. We saw a lot of improvement with our freshman, but our seniors also improved from the first day of practice," said Dickhausen. "We moved players around in the outfield quite a bit. It was good to see everybody grow."
The weather constantly hampered practice outdoors and forced changes in the schedule. The Saints managed to play just four home games all season and all four were played at Swisher Field.
"The weather was frustrating," said Dickhausen. "We knew our schedule this season was going to be interesting as we switched over from the UMAC (Upper Midwest Athletic Conference). It was a good learning year for our freshman. Now, we're officially in the NAIA and a conference. So, we're pretty excited."
Last week, Presentation College announced that the NAIA had accepted the Saints application to join the national organization. Plus, Presentation will join the newly-formed conference, the North Star Athletic Association.
The Saints honored their four senior players on Friday: Michelle Stratton, Boekelheide, Kelsey Schmidt and Steph Mastel.
Dakota State 100 002 1-4 13 1
Presentation 000 000 1-1 3 2
Sami Dean and Elizabeth Rubalcava; Danielle Naumann and Jacque Trost.
Dakota State 001 105 1-8 12 1
Presentation 200 000 0-2 6 4
Katie Silbowski and Elizabeth Rubalcava; Shelby Anderson, Danielle Naumann (5) and Jacque Trost.