LINCOLN, NEB.—The long ball was the Central College softball team's undoing Tuesday as Nebraska Wesleyan went deep late to score the decisive runs in a pair of 3-2 decisions.
           
The Dutch (17-13 overall, 5-5 American Rivers) tumbled in 10 innings in the opener as Nebraska Wesleyan walked it off on Bre Schneidewind's lead-off homer in the 10th. The Prairie Wolves then got a solo blast from Taylor Styskal in the sixth inning of the second game to break a 2-2 tie. Nebraska Wesleyan's only other scoring in that one was the result of Emily Swoboda's 2-run third-inning blast.
           
But as decisive as the home runs were, Dutch coach George Wares said Nebraska Wesleyan's four-time all-conference pitcher Kailey Meyer was the difference. Meyer (11-4) threw all 17 innings for the Prairie Wolves.
           
"She's the best pitcher we've faced," Wares said. "She's really good. She's big and strong and throws it well."
           
That left Sydni Huisman (junior, Treynor) with the game two loss in her most extensive action since suffering a serious injury moments before the season opener. Huisman (1-1) threw all six innings, allowing seven hits with a walk and three strikeouts.
           
"We thought about taking her out in the third (inning) after she gave up the first home run, but then she settled in," Wares said. "She gave us enough to win."
           
Right fielder Franie Burnett (sophomore, Ankeny, Centennial HS) had a run-scoring hit to put Central up 1-0 in the first inning. After falling behind 2-1 in the third inning, the Dutch tied it in the fourth on an RBI hit by left fielder Megan Doty (junior, Grinnell).
           
Central put together back-to-back two-out hits in the seventh inning but couldn't push the tying run across. The Dutch had eight hits but stranded eight baserunners.
           
In the opener, pitcher Morgan Schaben (junior, Portsmouth, Harlan HS) pitched her way out of trouble most of the way before yielding the 10th-innng homer. Schaben (11-9) allowed three runs on 11 hits with five walks and three strikeouts.
           
Down 2-0, the Dutch broke through with a run in the fifth inning on an RBI single by second baseman Haley Bach (freshman, Council Bluffs, Lewis Central HS). Central tied it in the sixth on a two-out, run-scoring hit by Doty. Central was outhit 11-7.
           
Center fielder Emma Johnson (junior, Davenport, Assumption HS), who earlier in the day was named the conference female athlete of the week, had three more hits on the day, keeping her average at a team-high .476.
           
Central played errorless ball on the day, which left Wares encouraged, despite the losses.
           
"We played extremely well," he said. "Those were two really good softball games. They just got a couple more timely hits."
           
He said the Dutch defensive progress is continuing.
           
"We made a huge play when they had the bases loaded and Cassie Severson (junior, Ankeny, Centennial HS) backhanded a ball at short and got the out at home," Wares said. "And Emma Johnson is playing so well in center field."
           
Central, which entered the day in a first-place tie in the conference, now finds itself in a tie for fourth place with Buena Vista University. And the Beavers (21-11 overall) are the next opponent as the Dutch continue their trip Wednesday with a 5 p.m. twinbill at Storm Lake. BV split a doubleheader at Simpson College Tuesday, winning 6-4 before dropping a 2-0 decision.