RICHLAND – With the district tournament right around the corner, it is time for teams to start gearing up for the postseason.

The Dowagiac softball team seems to be taking that to heart as the Chieftains continue their late season surge.

On Tuesday night, the Chieftains ran their winning streak to eight games with a sweep of host Gull Lake in a Wolverine Conference doubleheader.

Dowagiac won the opener 7-2 and then took the nightcap 5-0.

The Chieftains (14-10) scored 12 runs on 25 hits, while allowing only 10 hits on the day.

Dowagiac pitchers also had just two walks, while striking out 13.

“I think I said it after Saturday’s games that they (the pitchers) are starting to pitch instead of just throw. They are hitting their spots,” Dowagiac coach Mike Behnke said.
In the first game, the Chieftains used a four-run fifth inning to break a 2-2 deadlock.
The Chieftains pounded out 16 hits in the game, including a pair of doubles by Torie Lowe, who was 3-for-4.

Dowagiac also got doubles from winning pitcher Tara Sova (7-5), Sierra Herter, Kiele Belew, Rachel Bailey and Kristyn Turner.

Katie Lorenz, Miranda East, Belew, Bailey and Turner all had two hits.

Sova scattered seven hits, struck out six and did not walk a batter.

In the nightcap Dowagiac scored three times in the first and twice in the fourth to account for its scoring.

Seven more hits were collected by the Chieftains, led by Lorenz, who was 3-for-4.

Devon Ownby, Lowe and Herter all doubled for Dowagiac.

Ownby and Lowe each finished with two hits.

East tossed a three-hitter with seven strikeouts and only two walks.

“I think we are playing some pretty good softball,” Behnke said. “We made some base running mistakes that took us out of some innings, but other than that, we are playing pretty well right now. We had a lot of hits and we made some loud outs tonight too.”
Dowagiac will entertain Coloma in a non-conference doubleheader today beginning at 4 p.m.

First game
Dowagiac 200 041 0 – 7 16 1
Gull Lake 200 000 0 – 2 7 2
Tara Sova (W, 7-5) and Torie Lowe
Erika Olsen (L) and Courtney Mast
2B: Lowe (D) 2, Sova (D), Sierra Herter (D), Kiele Belew (D), Rachel Bailey (D), Kristyn Turner (D)

Second game
Gull Lake 000 000 0 – 0 3 2
Dowagiac 300 200 x – 5 9 1
Miranda East (W, 7-5) and Torie Lowe
Alyssa Olsen (L) and Courtney Mast
2B: Devon Ownby (D), Lowe (D), Sierra Herter (D), Christina Avery (GL)

Varsity record
Dowagiac 14-10, 8-4