Shad Beam, Sports Information Director (402) 426-7389

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 9, 2008

Vikings Make History

Blair, Nebraska ~ The Dana College softball team made history on Friday afternoon.  The Vikings defeated Morningside College 5-1 in the finals of the NAIA Region III Softball Tournament.  This marks the first time since 1994 and only the second time in school history that the Vikings have qualified for the national tournament.

The Vikings entered the Region III tournament as the eighth seed.  Dana defeated top seeded Dickinson State University (ND).  The Vikings scored the lone run of the game in the top of the first inning.  Maggie Downs (SR, St. Charles, IA) opened the game with a double.  Downs advanced to third on a TJ Beeman (SR, Grimes, IA) sacrifice.  Josie Barrow (SR, Woodward, IA) laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to allow Downs to score.  Dana’s pitching and defense did the rest.  Cassie Lager (SR, Missouri Valley, IA) pitched a complete game, two-hitter for the win.  Maggie Downs and Jesse McKinney (JR, Lincoln, NE) each had hits. Brianne Nutty (SO, Omaha, NE) had the other two Dana hits.

The Vikings were squared off against the Beavers of Minot State.  Dana took advantage of four Minot State errors in route to a 3-0 win.  The Vikings put single runs in the third, fifth, and seventh innings.  Paige Brune (JR, Dodge, NE) led the Vikings with two hits.  Maggie Downs, TJ Beeman, Josie Barrow, Brianne Nutty, and Lindy Bohlmann (JR, Denison, IA) each had hits.  Cassie Lager pitched her second straight complete game and picked up the win.  Lager struck-out seven Beavers.

Thursday afternoon saw the Vikings face GPAC champs foe Morningside College.  The two foes combined for one run and six hits.  The only run of the game was set up by two seventh inning errors.  Paige Brune reached on a throwing error by the Mustang shortstop.  Brune then stole second.  Brianne Nutty reached on a throwing error by the shortstop, which allowed Brune to cross the plate.  The Vikings did not allow a runner past second base in the final inning.  Jesse McKinney had two hits to lead Dana.  Brune and Aimee Supanchick (SR, Hazard, NE) each had singles.

Dana had to wait through an elimination game between Morningside and Minot State to see who they would match-up against in the Regional Finals.  The Mustangs took over the Beavers 2-1 in nine innings to gain a rematch with Dana.  The two conference foes had split the previous four games.

The first four innings of the championship game started like the last two games.  The two teams battled back and forth before Dana took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning.  Josie Barrow started the inning off with a single to left field.  Melena Selzle (JR, Ashland, NE) pinch ran for Barrow.  Brianne Nutty crushed a homerun to left field to give Dana a 2-0 lead.  Morningside scored one run in the bottom of the inning.  The Vikings put three runs on the board in the top of the sixth on three hits and a Mustang error.  Beth Richmond (JR, Chariton, IA) hit a three run double that scored Nutty, Brune, and Beeman.  Morningside rallied in the bottom of the inning.  The Mustangs scored two runs off starter Cassie Lager and a third off Ashley Jess (SR, Monroe, IA).  The Vikings added three insurance runs in the top of the seventh.  Maggie Downs, Josie Barrow, and Paige Brune each had RBI’s in the inning.  Morningside made one final push to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh inning.  Jess was touched for two hits and one run before giving way to Brianne Nutty.  Nutty retired the two Morningside batters she faced to end the game.  Downs, Barrow and Nutty each had two hits.  TJ Beeman, Kristina Cox, and Beth Richmond had one hit apiece.  Richmond drove in three runs.  Lager pitched five inning and picked up her fourth win in three days.  She struck out five batters.  Ashley Jess pitched an inning and a third.  Jess gave up two hits and one run.  Brianne Nutty earned the save pitching two thirds of an inning and gave up no hits.

Cassie Lager earned NAIA Region III MVP for her pitching performance.  The Vikings are now 26-18 overall.  Dana will advance to the NAIA National tournament in Decatur, Alabama starting May 16. 

For more information, please contact:  Shad Beam, Sports Information Director at sbeam@dana.edu