DWU softball sweeps Dakota State in nonconference doubleheader

• Roni Nekrassoff

(Claire Meador/Republic) Dakota Wesleyan University softball pitcher Roni Nekrassoff throws a pitch during a nonconference game against Dakota State University on Wednesday at Dr. McWhirter Field in Mitchell.

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Dakota Wesleyan University swept Dakota State University in a nonconference softball doubleheader Wednesday at Dr. McWhirter Field in Mitchell, pushing its winning streak to eight games.

The Tigers won the first game 4-2 and the second game 5-2 to improve their overall record to 14-21.

Roni Nekrassoff was the winning pitcher for both games, and head coach Ed Kieff said he was pleased with the way she played.

“She was very effective, and that’s good to see because she hasn’t had the opportunity to pitch a lot in the last couple of weeks,” he said.

In the first game, Nekrassoff gave up two runs — one earned — on two hits and struck out three batters.

Katie Uttecht scored first for DWU, coming across on a double by Devinne Facile. The Tigers added a second run in the fourth inning, when Nicole Haley doubled and scored on an RBI single by Nekrassoff.

Haley had two hits and Nekrassoff had a pair of hits and three RBIs to lead the Tigers.

“The team played excellent defense behind (Nekrassoff),” Kieff said. “We had a great defensive night … we’re just really on a good roll right now, and we want to keep things going.”

In the nightcap, DWU scored five runs before Dakota State was able to get its offense going. Katie Anderus had an RBI single in the first inning and Facile had an RBI single in the second inning. The Tigers scored three more runs in the third on an RBI single by Andreus and a two-run double by Uttecht.

Haley, Nekrassoff and Anderus each had two hits for DWU, and Anderus and Uttecht each had two RBIs.

Nekrassoff gave up two runs on eight hits and struck out three batters. Kieff said he is pleased with the way the team has been playing lately, but it still has a long way to go in the season.

“We’ve got a lot of work left obviously,” Kieff said. “In the next week and a half here, we still have about 10 games that will be really crucial games for us. Everybody’s playing well right now at a high level, and we’re very excited about where we’re going. It’s crucial that the ladies keep playing well and stay on this winning streak.”

NOTES: Wednesday night’s game DWU softball’s “Snackpack” night. The Mitchell Snackpack Program distributes bags of snacks to children in elementary schools in Mitchell on the last school day of each week. On Wednesday, the Tigers asked fans to bring food items to donate to the Snackpack program. Kieff said the turnout was such a success, the team is asking fans to bring food items to all of its home games for the rest of the season. All of the food items collected will be brought to the home of Cindy Novachich — who puts the Snackpacks together each week — after the games.

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