Caleb Pollema—Staff Writer

The Dordt College softball team headed to Tucson, Arizona, for a week of games over their spring break to play nine games in the desert.

Over the course of the trip, the weather played a factor and canceled some of their games. Ironic, especially considering that the trip is designed to find a warmer and more temperate climate in which to play compared to that of Northwest Iowa.

The Defenders headed into the trip with a 2-4 record and would go 4-5 in the nine games they played.

Contributed Photo

Dordt started with two games on Saturday, which they split. The first game of the day led to a 5-2 victory over Benedictine-Mesa, with Tianna Soodsma bringing a strong performance for the Defenders in the circle.

The second game of the day would be a tough pill to swallow, as the Defenders fell in extra innings by a final score of 3-4 to St. Francis.

The Defenders played a doubleheader and dropped both games. Their first loss came to Viterbo by a final of 4-5. The second loss came to Valley City State in a shutout by a final of 0-8.

The Defenders’ games on Tuesday and Wednesday was canceled due to rain in the Tucson area. This came as a disappointment to the Defenders, especially after the long bus trip out to the desert.

“Even though we had some weather that put us on hold for a few days, we really improved this week,” sophomore pitcher Natalie Vos said. “We played some tough teams but kept pushing on.”

Dordt resumed play on Thursday with three games. The Defenders won the first two games 4-2 and 4-1. The third and final game of the day resulted in a blowout loss with a final of 2-10 to Olivet Nazarene.

The final two games of the trip would result in a split for the Defenders. Dordt would drop the first game to Graceland by a final of 3-4 and the final game of the trip would result in a victory for the Defenders with a 5-3 win over Saint Xavier.

“Beating Saint Xavier in the bottom of the 7th inning with a walk-off home run and ending their 10-0 winning streak was definitely the best part of the week,” sophomore outfielder Jessica Oules said.

The Defenders returned home this week with a doubleheader against Northwestern on Wednesday and a doubleheader against Jamestown on Friday.