The DCTC Blue Knights Softball team traveled to Glendive, Montana for the NJCAA Region 13 Championship May 4-6. The tournament featured six teams including Dawson CC, Bismarck State, Williston State, Miles CC, Lake Region State, and DCTC. The first game was against Lake Region State and it was a battle! The Knights were down two runs in the bottom of the 7th when DCTC tied it up to go into extra innings. In the top of the 8th the Royals scored two runs but the home teamed battled back to get within one run when Fr. Rhiannon Horien (2B) hit a three run homer to give the Blue Knights a 9-7 walk-off, come-from-behind victory! Soph. Emily Kuehl pitched all eight innings to gain the victory! Allie Sibbald was 3-4 with 4 RBI’s.
The second game was a tough game for the Knights losing to #2 seed Miles. DCTC was held to just five hits. The Blue Knights came back the next day in the first elimination game vs Bismarck State. The Blue Knights got off to a good start leading 2-0 going into the 4th inning when the Mystics score four unanswered runs to take the lead. The game stayed at 4-2. In the bottom of the 7th being down by two runs again didn’t faze the home team as they earned their 2nd walk off win when Fr. Callie Adams ( LF ) singled to left to knock in the winning run giving the spirited Blue Knights team the victory! Kuehl again got the victory on the mound. Soph. Molly Erickson, Adams, Kuehl, Sibbald and Horien all had at least two hits.
Again facing elimination, the Knights played Williston State in the 2nd game of the day. It was 2-2 after two innings. The Tetons then scored three runs in the top of the 3rd to take the lead. They then scored three more runs in the top of the 5th to take a 8-2 lead. The Knights then scored two in the 5th and three in the sixth to get within one run! Sibbald pitched marvelously in the sixth and 7th to hold them scoreless the rest of the way! In the bottom of the seventh the home team scratches a couple more runners on base to bring up to bat Fr. Preslie Annala (3B). Annala had homered earlier in the game in bringing the Blue Knights close again. With the game in the balance, with two players on she did it one more time for a three run homer giving the DCTC softball team it’s third walk off win! Annala ended up 4-5 with six RBI’s! Sibbald was the winning pitcher and added three hits! FR. Hailey Schneller was 3 for 4 with 3 RBI’S! FR. Izzy Okeson caught all the games and registered two hits. Soph. Monica Brown had two hits for the victory!
DCTC then took on Miles CC for the second time on the final day of the tournament. Down 2-0 in the 3rd, Sibbald hit a towering homerun that ties it up! The Knights struggled after that losing again to the Pioneers. “The team really played with great enthusiasm and togetherness throughout the tournament” stated head coach Tom Cross. "Winning three walk off games in a row is really something!"
