Conference Leaders Top Dana

Blair, Nebraska ~ The Dana College baseball team travelled to Orange City, Iowa to take on conference leaders Northwestern College.  The Red Raiders swept the visiting Vikings 15-6 ad 14-4.

The Vikings jumped out to an early 5-3 lead in the second inning.  Alex Johnson (FR, Red Oak, IA) started the inning off with a double.  Marcus Schultz (FR, Jackson, MN) followed up with a homerun to left field.  Taylor Hoskinson (FR, Omaha, NE) singled to put two runners on base.  Andrew James (FR, Omaha, NE) cleared the bases with a triple to right.  Austin Lunn (FR, Omaha, NE) drove James home with a single.  Northwestern pulled away in the later innings as they scored five in the fourth, three in the fifth, and three in the sixth. 

Austin Lunn went three for four and drove in one run.  Quentin Connealy (SR, Tekamah, NE) went two for four.  Marcus Schultz was two for four with three RBI’s and scored two runs.  Pete Treantos (FR, Omaha, NE) suffered the loss for the Vikings.  He pitched three and two-thirds innings giving up 13 hits and nine runs.  Matt Weeks (JR, Omaha, NE) pitched an inning and a third allowing two hits and three runs.  Matt Renshaw (FR, Council Bluffs, IA) pitched the final inning giving up three runs and three hits.

Dana found itself down 6-0 in the first three innings of game two.  In the top of the fourth, Dana pushed four runs across home plate.  Quentin Connealy and Tim Sabadin (SR, Lake Elizabeth, CA) started the inning off with back-to-back singles.  Andrew Cookston (FR, Lincoln, NE) walked to load the bases.  Alex Johnson cleared the bases with his first career grand-slam.  The Vikings were unable to keep the momentum up as they gave up seven runs in the bottom of the inning.  The game was called in the bottom of the fifth when the Red Raiders increased their lead to ten runs.

Alex Johnson was two for two with a grand slam in the night cap.  Connealy and Sabadin each hit singles.  Jock Ocken (FR, Omaha, NE) pitched three innings while giving up nine hits and nine runs.  He also struck-out four batters.  Cody Falk (FR, Omaha, NE) pitched an inning and gave up five hits and four runs.  Matt Renshaw pitched the final two-thirds of an inning and gave up one hit and one run.

Game 1 vs. Northwestern:        http://www.dana.edu/baseball/stats08/dannor01.htm

Game 2 vs. Northwestern:        http://www.dana.edu/baseball/stats08/dannor02.htm

Coach Misfeldt’s Corner

“The scores certainly won’t indicate it, but we played right with them for a big portion of each game. Thanks in large part to freshman designated hitter Marcus Schultz, who hit two home runs in the opener, we had a 5-1 lead in the second inning. In the nightcap, Alex Johnson -- a freshman first baseman from Red Oak -- hit a grand slam home run  in the fourth inning to bring within two (6-4) of the Raiders. Our young guys got some more valuable experience that is going to do nothing but help them in the years to come. We’ve got Hastings and Dakota Wesleyan coming up this weekend, and I know our guys will be ready to get after it again!”     

The Vikings are now 7-24 on the season and 4-12 in conference play.  Dana will travel to Hastings College on Saturday.  First pitch is set for 1:00pm.  They will play host to Dakota Wesleyan on Sunday.  Time is set for 1:00pm in Blair.