SIOUX CENTER & SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Dakota Wesleyan Softball completed the final four contests of the 2026 regular season against the Dordt Defenders and Morningside Mustangs, with both
The first doubleheader took place in the ASB Sports Complex as the Tigers took on the nationally acclaimed Defenders. Game one would see both teams only use one pitcher, with a duel established early on. Alison Ernsberger posted six strikeouts on the mound in her effort, keeping Dordt scoreless for the first three innings of competition. In contrast, the Tigers would strike first offensively at the top of the second, as a well-placed triple from Alessandra Ciurca would get Jordyn Blogg across home plate, giving DWU a 1-0 lead. The Dakota Wesleyan defense would hold steady until the bottom of the fourth, as a throwing error would give the Defenders a quick 2-1 lead. While the offense for the Tigers would try to mount a counterattack, the team would only record one hit down the stretch, not allowing them to work back into the contest. Dordt would add four more runs to the board and claim game one in a 6-1 victory over DWU.
Game two took a similar pace initially as the first, with DWU posting a 1-0 lead in the top of the second, this time thanks to an RBI double from Blogg, but DU was able to spark offensively in the third frame this time, taking a 4-1 lead following a home run and triple. Mandalyn Nachtigall tallied two strikeouts on the mound through four innings pitched for the Tigers, but the Dordt attack was able to find contact as her start continued. Ernsberger and Keirstyn Krcil would appear in relief in the circle, but the established lead for the Defenders would once again prevent defensive stands from getting the team fully back in the contest. Blogg recorded her second RBI of the day in the top of the fourth, and Kassidy Lopez would get a runner home on a fielder's choice ground ball to bring the score back within a run, but Dordt was quick to add two more runs to the board with an RBI single. The Tigers would ultimately fall to the Defenders in game two, 11-3, heading into the weekend with two more contests to play in the regular season.
The offense for Dakota Wesleyan would be more sustained in the doubleheader against Morningside in Sioux City, especially in game one, where Lydia Yost kicked off the series with a two-run homer down the left field line to give the Tigers an initial 2-0 lead. The Mustangs responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the frame, but another home run from Ashlen Johnson added two more runs to the board for DWU. Morningside evened it up once again in the bottom of the fourth, but an eight-run inning from Dakota Wesleyan put the Tigers firmly in control, as Elle Feser, Blogg, and Macy Moore all recorded home runs, while Liliana Arreola added an RBI of her own on a knock through the right side of the infield. The Mustangs added a two-RBI home run in response, but the pitching effort from Ernsberger shut down MU in the final couple of innings, tallying eight total strikeouts to earn her 15th win of the season in the circle. The Tigers won game one by a score of 12-6, bringing the team's win total to 34, tying the program record set by the 2025 team just last season.
The final contest of the four-game stretch saw the Mustangs strike first in the bottom of the first inning on a pair of RBIs hit into the outfield, and while Blogg would hit a sacrifice fly to get DWU on the board, MU would add five runs over the next three innings to take a firm 7-1 lead over the Tigers. Nachtigall and Ernsberger would split duties, combining for five strikeouts, but with hits being at more of a premium as the Morningside pitcher settled in, it would not be quite enough to help the team work back into the contest. Lopez would get Blogg across home plate in the top of the fifth, and Blogg capped off her impressive four-game stand with a home run past the left-center wall, but the Tigers would still fall to the Mustangs 7-3. The Tigers end the regular season at 34-15 overall and 17-5 in GPAC play.
The Tigers will be placed towards the top of the bracket for the conference tournament, but was not able to quite close out a hosting seed. They will look to travel to either Dordt or Midland later next week for postseason play and for a chance to qualify for the NAIA national tournament. The GPAC Championship Tournament starts on Wednesday, April 29th. See the full 2026 schedule here.