MANKATO, Minn. — The Gustavus softball team opened its 2024 season at the Bethany Lutheran Kwik Trip Invitational, playing a pair of games in the MSU-Mankato Dome Saturday afternoon. The Gusties walked away with a split on opening day, defeating UW-La Crosse 9-7 before falling to Simpson 6-3.
Gustavus 9, UW-La Crosse 7
The Gusties entered Saturday's matchup with La Crosse with a daunting task ahead of them, after all, the Eagles have bettered the Gusties in their last seven games and made a run in the NCAA tournament last season. However, a walk-off grand slam from
Carly Nelson put the Gusties in the win column to start the year.
La Crosse took a 4-1 lead to start the game, scoring one in the first and three in the third off sophomore
Maizie Anderson.
Breck Carlson, in her first-ever collegiate game, singled in the second to get the Gusties on the board, scoring
Taylor Katzenmeyer.
Madi Mueller sparked the Gustie comeback in the bottom of the third, sending a double to left center and score
Olivia Guggenberger.
Caitlin Olafsson sent Mueller home on a single up the middle shortly after, and scored herself on an Eagle throwing error to even the score 4-4 heading into the fourth.
Neither team scored through the next three innings, setting the stage for a thrilling seventh. The Eagles thought they had the game won with a three-run inning, but
Carly Nelson had a different idea. A single from Olafsson cut the lead to 7-5. A walk to
Lauren Lambert loaded the bases for Nelson, who did her best to send the ball out of the Mankato dome, winning the game for the Gusties.
Olafsson led the team at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two runs and a pair of RBI. Mueller and Nelson each added two hits to the Gusties' total of 10 in their opening game. Maizie Anderosn pitched the full game, allowing six earned runs, three walks, and striking out five in 28 at-bats.
Gustavus 3, Simpson 6
The Gusties brought all the momentum from their opening game into their second of the day against Simpson, scoring three unanswered runs in the first three innings. Unfortunately for the Gusties, the spark sizzled as the game went on, as the Storm rattled off six runs of their own to deal the Gusties their first loss of the season, 6-3.
Olafsson added another hit to her name on opening day in her first at-bat against Simpson, doubling through the left side, scoring
Madi Mueller, who was walked to start the game. Olafsson scored the second run of the game on an error from Simpson for an early 2-0 advantage.
Olafsson scored once more in the third, as
Macy McNally was walked, advancing Olson, who singled up the middle, and Olafsson for the 3-0 lead. The Storm responded, getting three runs off doubles to left center, in the third and fourth innings. Simpson scored one in the fifth on an error before ending the game with a 2-run home run in the sixth inning for the final of 6-3.
The first-year duo of
Ava Hamsund and
Megan Sherwood split pitching time for the Gusties, with Hamsund getting her first collegiate start against the Storm. Each pitcher allowed a trio of runs, while Hamsund struck out one in 18 batters faced. Olafsson, Olson, and McNally finished with the Gusties' three hits on the day.
The Gusties are back in the dome tomorrow afternoon, facing Nebraska Wesleyan at 1 p.m. followed by North Central at 3:30.
