Central Women Get Road Tennis Win in League Tournament

A 2-1 advantage after doubles play propelled the Central College women’s tennis team to a 5-3 win over Wartburg College in the American Rivers Conference tournament quarterfinals Tuesday.

The Dutch will make their 11th consecutive appearance in the tournament semifinals Thursday at No. 1 Luther College. Central raced out to wins at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles to start the night, with Becca Vala and Jenna Mitsuko Mahoney winning 8-3 at No. 2 and Jennifer Larson and Madi Whalen winning 8-2 at No. 3. Mahoney gave Central a 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 3 singles and Vala won 6-2, 6-2 at No. 4.

The last two matches on the court Tuesday were Emma Murphy and Lauren Gano at No. 5 and No. 6 singles. Murphy won the race to score the deciding fifth point with a 1-6, 6-1, 6-1 victory, while Gano split with her opponent 6-2, 2-6, but the match went unfinished as the Dutch had already secured the victory.

Central gets another shot at Luther after losing 9-0 on September 9th.

Central Splits Lopsided Softball Doubleheader with Luther

After suffering its first American Rivers Conference loss of the season, the Central College softball team surged for a 10-0 win in the nightcap against Luther College Tuesday. Both games were shortened to five innings by run rule but it was the Dutch, who were on the wrong end of a 14-4 loss against the Norse in the opener. 

After falling behind 14-0 in the first game, Central tallied three runs in the top of the first of game two. Haley Bach led off the game with a double before consecutive walks preceded a Megan Stuhr single to score the first run of the game. Rylee Dunkin reaching by error enabled two more to score for the early 3-0 lead. Emma Beck got the win in the circle in game two, throwing all five innings with just four hits and three walks while striking out three. The Dutch tallied eight hits in the win but also took advantage of seven walks issued by the Norse pitching staff and five errors by its defense. Megan Doty sparked the Dutch offense from the eight hole in game two, driving in four runs on two hits. Her three-run double in the fourth brought Central’s run total to 10. 

Stuhr, Dunkin, Bach and Franie Burnett also drove in runs during the first game. Sydni Huisman took the loss as game one’s starting pitcher, giving up two hits and four walks which turned into five earned runs in 2.0 innings. Chloe Dougherty finished out the game in the circle, yielding five hits and four walks for eight runs. Other results around the league enabled Central to stay two games in front of the conference championship race.

Central returns home for a non-conference doubleheader against Cornell College today at 2 pm.

Home Runs Propel to Central Baseball to Series Win

Three home runs, including two in the seventh inning, pushed the Central College baseball team to a 6-5 victory over Luther College Tuesday, securing the series win. The Dutch fell 14-4 to the Norse in the nightcap. Central won the first game of the series last Tuesday 8-3 in Decorah.

A two-run blast from Declan O’Hare in the second inning got the Dutch offense started and tied the game at 2-2. After four scoreless frames, Colton DeRocher’s solo shot tied the game at 4-4, and tied the senior for the most career home runs in program history. Two batters later, Caleb Douglass added a two-run home run to put Central in front for good 6-4. DeRocher, Dylan Williams, Dom DeLaPaz, and Brayden Sawyer had two hits apiece in the victory. Boston DeVault was the pitcher of record in the opener, striking out two in an inning of work. Chance Dreyer was the starting pitcher, scattering four runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out four over six innings on the bump. Parker Jones closed the door with a two-inning save, striking out three while working around a trio of walks.

After notching 12 hits in the opener, the Dutch bats mustered just four hits in game two, while committing three errors defensively. Two of Central’s four hits in the second game were solo homers, coming off the bats of Colton Jones and Dreyer. Four different pitchers appeared for Central in game two after Sawyer lasted just 1.1 innings as the starter. Bo Gerbracht was the most effective reliever, striking out four in 2.2 innings, allowing a pair of earned runs.

The Dutch are slated to open a three-game series at home against Wartburg College Friday at 3 pm.