Two Podium Finishes for Dutch Women at National Track Meet
A pair of strong finishes helped the Central College women’s track and field team get on the podium twice at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships on Friday.
Addison Parrott, Emily McMartin, Alivia Roerdink, and Peyton Steffen completed the distance medley relay in 11 minutes, 50.24 seconds to earn a seventh-place finish. It’s the third year in a row the Dutch women have had an All-American squad in the DMR. Olivia Bohlen closed out the fifth event of the pentathlon strong and leapt into eighth place for first team All-American honors. She shaved nearly six seconds off her career-best time to complete the 800 meters in 2:24.45. Her total points in the event was also a career-high, as she finished with 3,547 points. Through the first four events of the men’s heptathlon, Kale Hobart is ninth with 2,795 points and Reid Pakkebier is 13th with 2,717 points. In the men’s mile prelims, Jack Brown qualified for Saturday’s final by finishing third in the second heat in a time of 4:13.22.
Gunner Meyer qualified seventh for tomorrow’s 60-meter hurdles final with a time of 8.03 seconds, while Grant Miller missed the finals, but his time of 8.16 seconds placed him 13th and earned second team All-American honors.
Central College NCAA Championships Schedule of Events Saturday:
10 a.m. – men’s heptathlon (60-meter hurdles)
11:20 a.m. – men’s heptathlon (pole vault)
2:30 p.m. – men’s triple jump
3 p.m. – men’s 60-meter hurdles (finals)
4 p.m. – men’s mile (finals)
4:45 p.m. – men’s heptathlon (1000 meters)
6 p.m. – women’s 3,000-meter run
Central’s Baldwin Into National Wrestling Semifinals
Pierre Baldwin won his first two matches at the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships Friday and the Central College men’s wrestler advanced to the 141-pound semifinals.
Receiving a first-round bye, Baldwin started his day with a 5-2 win over James Rodriguez of Castleton State University (Vt.) in the second round, avenging his loss to Rodriguez in the opening match of last year’s national meet. Pierre followed up his second round win by dispatching Hayden Myers of Wesleyan University (Ct.) in a 14-3 major decision in the quarterfinals. Carson Martinson, Central other wrestler at the National Meet, sandwiched losses to a pair of seeded opponents around a 12-0 major decision to conclude his first national meet with a 1-2 record
Baldwin will wrestle this morning against the unseeded Sean Conway of the University of Chicago (Ill.), and the morning session starts at 9 am.
Central Softball Extends Winning Streak
The Central College softball team opened the Pioneer Classic with a pair of wins on Friday, winning the first game of the day in the morning against Adrian College (Mich.) 9-7, then returned to the field in the afternoon to beat Muskingum University (Ohio) 8-1.
Against Adrian, the Dutch totaled 11 hits and six walks. After three walks in the first inning, Alexa Anderson hit a bases clearing double to give the Dutch an early lead. The Dutch would jump out to a 7-0 lead and hang on for the victory. In the game against Muskingum, the game was tied 1-1 before Central scored seven unanswered runs, including two in each of the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to pull away for the win.
Carley Underwood had two hits, scored four runs, and stole three bases in the two games combined, while Emma Jenson recorded three hits and three RBIs in the games. Pitcher Emma Beck threw 2.1 scoreless innings, getting the start in game one and she threw her third complete game of the season in the second game. She allowed one run on seven hits and added two strikeouts in the complete game. Haley Bach had two hits, two runs scored, and a walk in the second win, and Hannah Higgins added three RBI in the same game. Jadyn Huisman was strong in the circle and at the plate, throwing a scoreless inning in the first game, before following that up by bringing in an RBI at the plate in the second.
The Pioneer Classic will continue Saturday and Central has a pair of games starting against Greenville University (Ill.) at 10 am (EST), followed by No. 25 ranked Depauw University (Ind.) at 2:30 p.m.
Central Baseball Splits Final Games of Spring Break Trip in Florida
Wrapping up their spring break trip to Florida Friday, the Central College baseball team split a doubleheader against The College of St. Scholastica, winning the first game 10-3 before dropping the second game 4-2 in eight innings.
After falling behind 1-0 in the second inning of the first game, the Dutch plated six unanswered runs to gain control of the game and never looked back. Brayden Sawyer powered the offense in the opener, recording a home run, two walks, two RBIs, and three hits. Max Steinlage and Dom DeLaPaz also had big games in the first game, with Steinlage posting two hits and an RBI, while DeLaPaz had a single and a solo home run. Jackson Torbit recorded the win on the bump, throwing a complete game, while scattering three runs across seven hits and five strikeouts.
In the nightcap, Central jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning, before the Saints responded with a two-run top of the fourth. The 2-2 tie held through the end of the seventh inning, sending the game into extra innings, and a two-run single in the top of the eighth for St. Scholastica made up the difference in the doubleheader split. Chance Dreyer was the lone Dutch player with multiple hits in the game, while Sawyer batted in the lone run for Central. Steinlage got the start in game two, recording a no decision after throwing seven innings and giving up two unearned runs on one hit and five strikeouts. Bryce Haessig suffered the loss in the contest, conceding two unearned runs on three hits in the eighth inning.
The Dutch return to Iowa and start the American Rivers Conference slate next Friday with a 3 pm game at the University of Dubuque.